Search

The results obtained by Groholt et al. with respect teenage suicidal tendencies in Norway can be found to be similar to that in the US. Teenagers aged 15 years and above have a greater tendency to commit suicide through guns than the younger teenagers. A public health view of teenage suicide must involve four steps: determining the problem, finding the cause, analyzing the solutions, and how to implement it.

BICYCLE-RELATED HEAD INJURIES are a serious public health problem in the United States. Each year, more than 280 cyclists younger than age 17 years are fatally injured, and more than […]

These guidelines were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for state and local agencies and organizations planning programs to prevent head injuries among bicyclists through use of bicycle helmets. The guidelines contain information on the magnitude and extent of the problem of bicycle-related head injuries and potential impact of increased helmet use; characteristics of helmets, including biomechanical characteristics, helmet standards, and performance in actual crash conditions; barriers that impede increased helmet use; and approaches to increasing use of bicycle helmets within the community. In addition, bicycle helmet legislation and community educational campaigns are evaluated. (J Sch Health. 1995;65(4):133-139), Each year, nearly 1,000 persons die from injuries caused by bicycle crashes, and 550,000 persons are treated in emergency departments for injuries related to bicycle tiding. Approximately 6% of bicycle [...]

Early federal injury control programs in the 1960s and 1970s were centered first in the Division of accident Prevention (Public Health Service) and subsequently in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Department of Transportation) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the early 1970s also began to investigate injuries, particularly in the home and recreational environment. The field expanded in the 1970s and 1980s to include injuries that occur in many settings and both intentional injuries (violence) and unintentional injuries. After a 1985 report, Injury in America, CDC was chosen to be the national coordinating agency because of its mission of prevention. The current program also includes acute care, rehabilitation, and biomechanics.

Physical assaults between family members or those in an intimate relationship are more likely to result in death if a firearm is involved. A survey of police reports of 23 fatal and 142 non-fatal family and intimate assaults found that those involving a firearm were 12 times more likely to result in death than those involving some other weapon. Assaults involving a firearm were three times more likely to result in death than those involving knives and 23 times more likely to result in death than those involving a blunt instrument or bodily force. Limiting access to firearms or making them harder to load and fire could reduce the number of fatal assaults among intimates. Guns could be kept locked up, unloaded, in a place separate from the ammunition. Individuals who have a history of abuse or are under a restraining order could be prohibited from buying a gun. The factors that lead to assaults on family members and intimates need to be addressed.

Excess child mortality in the US is attributable to injury. Elevated death rates among teenagers aged 15 to 19 are striking, with suicide and homicide being particularly prevalent. Seven industrialized countries combined, with total populations 1.4 times as great as the US, have less than one-tenth the rate of teen homicide observed in the US. Child injury mortality has decreased much less than mortality due to disease in the US; while mortality due to infectious diseases decreased by 90 percent in the past 60 years, child injury mortality decreased only 40 percent. In addition to the enormous number of lives lost, injuries cause considerable disability, economic burden, and stress to the health care system. The leading causes of fatal child injury are discussed, specifically auto accidents, homicide, suicide, and drowning. Contributory factors for each of these types of injury are examined on the basis of individual behaviors, the role of governmental health and regulatory agencies, and the effects of individuals fighting for injury prevention. Eleven actions that address the factors underlying common childhood injuries are presented. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Reports on a study of various aspects of communicable disease occurrence (focusing on diarrheal illness) in shelters for battered women and their children, the extent and methods of screening for disease, training of staff in health care principles, resources available for health care needs, and the health regulations governing these shelters. (PS)