Chapter 15: Injuries and Community Health Flashcards
injury
physical damage to the body resulting from mechanical, chemical, thermal, or environmental energy
unintentional injuries
injury that occured without anyone intending to do harm
intentional injuries
injury that’s judged to have been purposely inflicted ether by a victim or by another
cost of injuries to society
- Leading cause of death and disability in the world
- ~5.8 million people die from injuries each year
- Cost of injuries $500+ billion annually
fatal injuries
injuries resulting in 1+ deaths
disabling injuries
injuries causing any restriction of any normal activity beyond the day that it happened
leading cause of injuries
- falls
- 63% of seniors and ½ of adolescents were injured in falls
- When an older person falls and breaks their hip, within a 1 ½ they die
what age group has the highest likelihood of injury
- ¼ of Young people 12-19 had highest likelihood of injury
- ⅔ injuries among adolescents linked to sports
- For adults, sports and work
what is injury prevention/control?
organized effort to prevent injuries or minimize their severity
unsafe act
any behaviour that would increase the probability of an injury occurring
unsafe condition
Any environmental factor or set of factors that would increase probability of an injury occurring
hazard
unsafe act or condition
4 types of unintentional injuries
- Motor vehicle crashes
- Leading type of unintentional injury death
- Leading cause of nonfatal unintentional injury
- Majority of those killed: drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicycles - poisoinings
- Another leading cause of unintentional injury death
- Unintentional ingestion of fatal doses of medicines and drugs
- Consumption of toxic foods
- Exposure to toxic substances in the workplace or elsewhere
- Most occur in the home - falls
- Another leading cause of unintentional injury death
- Most occur in the home
- Disproportionately affect elders - Other types of unintentional injuries: drowning, fires, burns
what is the epidemiology of unintentional injuries
- Account for large number of early deaths
- Incapacitation significant problem
- High economic impact
what are some risk factors of injuries
- alcohol and drugs
- Involved in high amount of motor vehicle crashes
- Related to speeding, seat belt non-use, and other reckless behaviours
List four broad strategies for the reduction of unintentional injuries and give an example of each.
- prevent the accumulation of the injury-producing agent, energy
- ex. reducing speed limits fo decrease motor vehicle injuries - prevent the inappropriate release of excess energy or to modify its release in some way
- ex. flame-retardant fabric that won’t ignite - placing a barrier btwn host and agent
- ex. using sunscreen in the summer acts as a barrier btwn the sun’s energy and a person’s skin - completely separate the host from potentially dangerous sources of energy
- ex. locking up guns and poisons from kids
who were the early contributors for injury prevention and control
- John gordon
- 1949 - proposed that the tools of epidemiology (statistics) should be used to analyze injuries - William haddon jr
- Engineer and physician
- Considered the founding father of modern injury prevention research
what does the model for unintentional injuries contain?
Environment, host, and energy producing agent
what are some prevention and control tactics based on the model for unintentional injuries?
- Prevent accumulation of energy producing agent
- Ex. remove high chair - Prevent inappropriate release of excess energy
- Ex. don’t turn stove up too high - Placing barrier btwn host and agent
- Separate host from potentially dangerous sources of energy
what are the community approaches to prevention of unintentional injuries?
- Education - process of changing people’s health-directed behaviour
- Ex. fire drills - Regulation - enacting and enforcing laws to control conduct
- Ex. speed limit to reduce car crashes - Automatic protection - modifying products or environments to reduce risk
- Ex. medications w/ child proof caps - Litigation - seeking justice (ex. Lawsuits) for injury through courts
types of intentional injuries
- Assaults, rapes suicides, homicides
- Can be perpetrated against family members, community members, or complete strangers
- Costly due to loss of life and productivity, economic cost to community
epidemiology of intentional injuries
- Interpersonal violence disproportionately affects those frustrated, hopeless, jobless, living in poverty, w/ low self-esteem
- More acts committed by males
- Firearms increasingly involved alcohol and drug use contributes
- Perps more likely to have been abused or neglected as kids or exposed to violence
groups that experience higher rates of violent victimization
Males, black persons, and young persons 12-24 experience the most violent victimizations in the US
demographics of those who commit suicide in canada
- Canadian males experience 2 periods over their lives where they’re most likely to die by suicide - late 40s, and past age 90
- For females there is a peak in early 50s
- Across all canadian provinces, males more likely to commit suicide
firearm injuries and injury deaths
- can be Intentional and unintentional
- Firearms 3rd leading cause of injury death
- Highest risk for homicide and suicide inovlving firearms are teenn boys and young men
- Guns on college campuses
- Absence of detailed federally supported reporting system
who is most likely to be violent?
People who lack basic problem solving and communication skills
family violence and abuse
use of physical force by a family member against another w/ the intent to hurt, injure, or cause death
child maltreatment
act or failure to act by a parent, caretaker, or other person as defined by law that results in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child
child abuse
the intentional physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual mistreatment of a minor
child neglect
failure of a parent/guardian to care for or provide necessary subsistence for a child
key to prevention of child maltreatment
timely reporting
key to elder maltreatment and prevention
learn the signs, report fast
Intimate partner violence and prevention
Sexual violence, stalking, psychological abuse by a current or former intimate partner (spouses, bf, gf, dating partners, sexual partners)
how has violence in schools changed
- Victimization rates in recent yrs hasn’t changed much (gone down 3% and steady)
- Fighting and weapon carrying
- 0 tolerance policies
- Bullying and being bullied
What is a youth gang? Why are gangs attractive to some youths? How can communities compete for youths’ attention?
- association of peers, bound by mutual interests and identifiable lines of authority whose acts generally include illegal activity and control over a territory or enterprise
- some seek refuge and a community
Describe the best ways in which communities can respond to youth gang violence.
- involve law enforcement, education, diversion activities, and social services supprot
- sports
