"Between 1992 and 1999, we found that an average of 18,048 unintentional home injury deaths occurred annually in the United States," said Dr. Carol W. Runyan, director of the center and professor of health behavior and health education and pediatrics at UNC schools of public health and medicine. "In addition, for 1998 alone, more than 12 million nonfatal unintentional injuries that required medical attention occurred at home."

Falls, poisoning and burn injuries were the leading causes of such deaths at home, she said.

"Rates of fall deaths were highest for older adults, poisoning deaths were highest among middle-aged adults, while fire and burn death rates were highest among children and older adults," Runyan said. "Suffocation, inhalation and drowning deaths also are serious problems, especially for infants and toddlers. For nonfatal injuries, the risks are greatest for the youngest and oldest age groups."

For both fatal and nonfatal injuries, males are more likely than females to be victims, she said.

"This research is the most up-to-date and detailed of its kind," said Meri-K Appy, Home Safety Council president. "The findings underscore the critical need for action to reduce the risk of injury within the home."

The related articles appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The importance of fire safety and fall prevention efforts and ensuring that hazards in the home, such as poisons and firearms, are stored safely should not be underestimated, Runyan said. Improving injury data collection to reveal the full size of the problem and to monitor trends is needed.

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Contact: David Williamson
919-962-8596
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
5-Jan-2005