Members of the Injury and Violence Prevention Workgroup have expertise in areas including traumatic brain injuries, motor vehicle crash-related injuries, fall deaths, overdose deaths involving opioids, and violence-related injuries (including homicide, physical assault, firearm-related injuries and deaths, fighting and gun-carrying among adolescents, adolescent sexual violence, dating violence, adverse childhood experiences, self-harm related injuries, and child abuse and neglect). They developed the objectives related to injury and violence prevention, and they’ll provide data to track progress toward achieving these objectives throughout the decade.
Read more about the Injury and Violence Prevention Workgroup
Objective Status
4 Target met or exceeded
1 Improving
6 Little or no detectable change
12 Getting worse
1 Baseline only
5 Developmental
0 Research
Injury and Violence Prevention Workgroup Objectives (29)
Target met or exceeded
Target met or exceeded
Target met or exceeded
Target met or exceeded
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Getting worse
Baseline only
Developmental
Developmental
About the Workgroup
Approach and Rationale
Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44 years.1,2 In 2017, more than 240,000 people died from injuries,2 and nearly 1 in 10 suffered a nonfatal injury serious enough to be treated in a hospital emergency department.2
Beyond their immediate health consequences, injuries and violence have a significant impact on the well-being of Americans. Injuries and violence contribute to:
· Premature death
· Years of potential life lost
· Disability and disability-adjusted life years lost
· Poor mental health
· High medical costs
The effects of injuries and violence extend beyond the injured person or victim of violence to family members, friends, co-workers, employers, and communities.
Understanding Injury and Violence Prevention
Numerous factors can affect the risk of unintentional injury and violence.
Individual behaviors, like alcohol and drug use or risk-taking, are often connected with factors in the social and physical environment and can increase injuries.5,6,7
The physical environment — in the home and community — can affect the rate of injuries related to falls, road traffic injuries, and violence.8,9,10
Access to health services — for example, systems created for injury-related care — including primary care, acute care, and rehabilitation, can aid in prevention and reduce the consequences of injuries, including death and long-term disability.
The social environment has a notable influence on the risk for injury and violence through:
- Individual social experiences, like social norms, education, and victimization history
- Social relationships, like parental monitoring and supervision of youth, peer group associations, and family interactions
- Community environment, like cohesion in schools, neighborhoods, and communities
- Societal-level factors, like cultural beliefs, attitudes, incentives and disincentives, and laws and regulations11
Interventions that address these social and physical factors have the potential to prevent unintentional injuries and violence.12,13
Emerging issues in Injury and Violence Prevention
Several emerging issues in injury and violence prevention need further research, analysis, and monitoring.
In the area of unintentional injuries, there is a need to better understand the trends, causes, and prevention strategies related to:
- Drug overdose deaths
- Motor vehicle crashes due to distracted driving
- Traumatic brain injury
In the area of violence, there is a need to better understand the trends, causes, and prevention strategies related to:
- Bullying, dating violence, and sexual violence among youth
- Adverse childhood experiences
- Overlapping causes of violence
Learn More
Citations
Herron, M. (2019). Deaths: Leading Causes for 2017 [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_06-508.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019) Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
Florence, C., Simon, T., Haegerich, T., Luo, F., & Zhou, C. (2015). Estimated Lifetime Medical and Work-Loss Costs of Fatal Injuries – United States, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 64(38), 1078-1082. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6438a4.htm
Florence, C., Zhou, C., Luo, F., & Xu, L. (2016). The Economic Burden of Prescription Opioid Overdose, Abuse, and Dependence in the United States, 2013. Medical care, 54(10), 901–906. DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000625.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Retrieved from https://khoerulanwarbk.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/urie_bronfenbrenner_the_ecology_of_human_developbokos-z1.pdf
Haegerich, T.M, et al. (2014). Advancing Injury and Violence Prevention in the USA. The Lancet, 384(9937), 64-74. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60074-X
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Violence Prevention [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sem_framewrk-a.pdf
Mack, K., Liller, K.D., Baldwin, G.T., & Sleet, D.A. (2015). Preventing Unintentional Injuries in the Home Using the Health Impact Pyramid. Health Education and Behavior, 42(1S) 115S–122S. DOI: 10.1177/1090198114568306 2015.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention. DOI 10.2471/BLT.09.064436.
Branas, C.C., et al. (2011). A Difference-in-Differences Analysis of Health, Safety, and Greening Vacant Urban Space. American Journal of Epidemiology, 174(11), 1296-1306. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwr273
Mercy JA, Mack KA, Steenkamp M. Changing the social environment to prevent injuries. Chapter 15 in Handbook of injury and violence prevention (pp 277-94). Doll LS, Bonzo SE, Mercy JA, et al., editors. New York: Springer; 2007.
Gielen, A.C, & Sleet, D.A. (2007). Injury and violence prevention: Behavioral Science Theories, Methods, and Applications. Injury Prevention, 13(5), 360. DOI: 10.1136/ip.2007.016279
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Technical Packages for Violence Prevention: Using Evidence-based Strategies for Your Violence Prevention Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/communicationresources/pub/resource-for-action.html
