Unintentional injuries trends in Georgia 2010-2021.
Abstract
Background: Unintentional injuries are the 4th cause of death in the US, with 61 deaths reported per 100,000 people in 2020 (CDC, 2022). Major contributors to unintentional injury deaths are motor vehicle accidents, drug overdose, and falls (Olaisen et al., 2019). National data indicate a 40% rate increase between 1999 and 2017. Rural residents have higher rates compared to urban residents. We analyzed unintentional injury data for Georgia and compared rates across rural/urban location, race groups, gender, and age-groups between 2010 and 2021.
Methods: Data were downloaded from the Online Analytical and Statistical Analysis System database of the Georgia Public Health Association, and analyzed with IBM SPSS 27.
Findings: Preliminary data analysis indicate that national trends are true for Georgia as well. Unintentional injuries increased over time from 32.0 in 2010 to 53.4 in 2021 and were highest for White, Males and Females aged up to 44 years old.
Importance for public health: Unintentional injury deaths contribute towards lowering life expectancy (Martínez-Alés et al., 2022), and remain the largest preventable cause of death. Prevention efforts should focus on population groups with the highest rates of unintentional injury.
Keywords
Keywords: Unintentional Injury, Unintentional Death
Unintentional injuries trends in Georgia 2010-2021.
Background: Unintentional injuries are the 4th cause of death in the US, with 61 deaths reported per 100,000 people in 2020 (CDC, 2022). Major contributors to unintentional injury deaths are motor vehicle accidents, drug overdose, and falls (Olaisen et al., 2019). National data indicate a 40% rate increase between 1999 and 2017. Rural residents have higher rates compared to urban residents. We analyzed unintentional injury data for Georgia and compared rates across rural/urban location, race groups, gender, and age-groups between 2010 and 2021.
Methods: Data were downloaded from the Online Analytical and Statistical Analysis System database of the Georgia Public Health Association, and analyzed with IBM SPSS 27.
Findings: Preliminary data analysis indicate that national trends are true for Georgia as well. Unintentional injuries increased over time from 32.0 in 2010 to 53.4 in 2021 and were highest for White, Males and Females aged up to 44 years old.
Importance for public health: Unintentional injury deaths contribute towards lowering life expectancy (Martínez-Alés et al., 2022), and remain the largest preventable cause of death. Prevention efforts should focus on population groups with the highest rates of unintentional injury.
