The global burden of unintentional injuries and an agenda for progress

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, unintentional injuries were responsible for over 3.9 million deaths and over 138 million disability-adjusted life-years in 2004, with over 90% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This paper utilizes the year 2004 World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study estimates to illustrate the global and regional burden of unintentional injuries and injury rates, stratified by cause, region, age, and gender. The worldwide rate of unintentional injuries is 61 per 100,000 population per year. Overall, road traffic injuries make up the largest proportion of unintentional injury deaths (33%). When standardized per 100,000 population, the death rate is nearly double in LMIC versus high-income countries (65 vs. 35 per 100,000), and the rate of disability-adjusted life-years is more than triple in LMIC (2,398 vs. 774 per 100,000). This paper calls for more action around 5 core areas that need research investments and capacity development, particularly in LMIC: 1) improving injury data collection, 2) defining the epidemiology of unintentional injuries, 3) estimating the costs of injuries, 4) understanding public perceptions about injury causation, and 5) engaging with policy makers to improve injury prevention and control.

Figures

Figure 1.

Percent of total deaths and years of life lost attributable to unintentional injuries by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates. AFRO, African region; AMRO, American region; EMRO, Eastern Mediterranean region; EURO, European region; SEARO, Southeast Asian region; WHO, World Health Organization; WPRO, Western Pacific region.

Figure 2.

Unintentional injury death rate per 100,000 population by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates. AFRO, African region; AMRO, American region; EMRO, Eastern Mediterranean region; EURO, European region; SEARO, Southeast Asian region; WHO, World Health Organization; WPRO, Western Pacific region.

Figure 3.

Proportion of unintentional injury deaths, by cause, by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates: American region (A), African region (B), European region (C), Eastern Mediterranean region (D), Southeast Asian region (E), and Western Pacific region (F). “Other” combines other unintentional injury deaths (e.g., animal bites), as well as unspecified unintentional injury deaths, per the International Classification of Diseases.

Figure 4.

Rate per 100,000 population of disability-adjusted life-years and years lived with disability due to unintentional injuries by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates. AFRO, African region; AMRO, American region; EMRO, Eastern Mediterranean region; EURO, European region; SEARO, Southeast Asian region; WHO, World Health Organization; WPRO, Western Pacific region.

Figure 5.

Percent of total unintentional injury deaths in low- and middle-income countries by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates. AFRO, African region; AMRO, American region; EMRO, Eastern Mediterranean region; EURO, European region; SEARO, Southeast Asian region; WHO, World Health Organization; WPRO, Western Pacific region.

Figure 6.

Distribution by cause of unintentional injury deaths in high-income countries (A), deaths in low- and middle-income countries (B), disability-adjusted life-years in high-income countries (C), and disability-adjusted life-years in low- and middle-income countries (D) by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates. “Other” combines other unintentional injury deaths (e.g., animal bites), as well as unspecified unintentional injury deaths, per the International Classification of Diseases.

Figure 7.

Proportion of unintentional injury deaths, by age group, in males (A) and females (B), by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates.

Figure 8.

By age group and gender, global unintentional injury deaths in high-income countries (A), deaths in low- and middle-income countries (B), disability-adjusted life-years in high-income countries (C), and disability-adjusted life-years in low- and middle-income countries (D), by year 2004 World Health Organization region estimates.