Injury and violence
Unintentional injuries and violence
A scientific approach to the prevention and control of injuries must be implemented
Authors:
R. Norton; A.A. Hyder; G. Gururaj
Publisher:
Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2008
This chapter on Unintentional Injuries and Violence from the book ‘International Public Health’ examines issues relating to a number of cause-specific injuries. It emphasises that a scientific approach to the prevention and control of injuries must be implemented, and has significantly raised the profile of injuries on the public health agenda.
The chapter covers the global burden of injuries and estimates of the economic and social costs for injuries for which statistics are routinely published by the World Health Organisation and those that constitute the greatest injury burden in terms of mortality in disability-adjusted life years. These are:
- road traffic accidents
- poisonings
- fall-related injuries
- burn-related injuries and drowning
- self-directed, interpersonal and collective violence.
For each category the authors also consider the risk factors for, and interventions to prevent unintentional injuries and violence, including the role of the health services in preventing death and disability, and the economic analysis of such interventions.
Opportunities for how to move forward are also outlined, including advocacy for injury prevention, research and development needs, the significance of a trained workforce and the role of national and international organisations.
