Injuries may be intentional or unintentional. Intentional injury may be the result of abuse, random violence, or self-inflicted injury. Uninentional injuries may arise due to motor vehicle accidents, workplace or home accidents, poisonings, fire-related injury, water-related injury, falls, playground injuries and more. Alcohol and substance abuse are often contributing factors. Injury prevention is of utmost importance to optimizing health and enhancing longevity.

In 2003, suicide or homicide ranked in the top 10 causes of death in all age brackets between 1 and 64 years of age. Death from unitentional injury in 2003, 2004, and 2005 was the 5th leading cause of death across all age groups, and in 2003 was the leading cause in people age 1-44. Motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death in children in 2006.

Non-fatal injury also has an enormous impact on health. In 2005 there were over 28 million visits to emergency rooms for unintentional injuries.

To prevent injury it is imperative to be aware of potential injury sources for yourself and your family, based on age, occupation, medical conditions, substance use, home/work/school environments, and lifestyle. There is a wealth of information available on increasing awareness and prevention of accidental injury. We highly recommend visiting the following CDC link: www.cdc.gov/InjuryViolenceSafety.