Chapter 15: Injuries and Community Health

Question 1

injury

Answer 1

physical damage to the body resulting from mechanical, chemical, thermal, or environmental energy

Question 2

unintentional injuries

Answer 2

injury that occured without anyone intending to do harm

Question 3

intentional injuries

Answer 3

injury that’s judged to have been purposely inflicted ether by a victim or by another

Question 4

cost of injuries to society

Answer 4

• Leading cause of death and disability in the world
• ~5.8 million people die from injuries each year
• Cost of injuries $500+ billion annually

Question 5

fatal injuries

Answer 5

injuries resulting in 1+ deaths

Question 6

disabling injuries

Answer 6

injuries causing any restriction of any normal activity beyond the day that it happened

Question 7

leading cause of injuries

Answer 7

• falls
• 63% of seniors and ½ of adolescents were injured in falls
• When an older person falls and breaks their hip, within a 1 ½ they die

Question 8

what age group has the highest likelihood of injury

Answer 8

• ¼ of Young people 12-19 had highest likelihood of injury
• ⅔ injuries among adolescents linked to sports
• For adults, sports and work

Question 9

what is injury prevention/control?

Answer 9

organized effort to prevent injuries or minimize their severity

Question 10

unsafe act

Answer 10

any behaviour that would increase the probability of an injury occurring

Question 11

unsafe condition

Answer 11

Any environmental factor or set of factors that would increase probability of an injury occurring

Question 12

hazard

Answer 12

unsafe act or condition

Question 13

4 types of unintentional injuries

Answer 13

1. Motor vehicle crashes
   - Leading type of unintentional injury death
   - Leading cause of nonfatal unintentional injury
   - Majority of those killed: drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicycles
2. poisoinings
   - Another leading cause of unintentional injury death
   - Unintentional ingestion of fatal doses of medicines and drugs
   - Consumption of toxic foods
   - Exposure to toxic substances in the workplace or elsewhere
   - Most occur in the home
3. falls
   - Another leading cause of unintentional injury death
   - Most occur in the home
   - Disproportionately affect elders
4. Other types of unintentional injuries: drowning, fires, burns

Question 14

what is the epidemiology of unintentional injuries

Answer 14

• Account for large number of early deaths
• Incapacitation significant problem
• High economic impact

Question 15

what are some risk factors of injuries

Answer 15

• alcohol and drugs
• Involved in high amount of motor vehicle crashes
• Related to speeding, seat belt non-use, and other reckless behaviours

Question 16

List four broad strategies for the reduction of unintentional injuries and give an example of each.

Answer 16

1. prevent the accumulation of the injury-producing agent, energy
   - ex. reducing speed limits fo decrease motor vehicle injuries
2. prevent the inappropriate release of excess energy or to modify its release in some way
   - ex. flame-retardant fabric that won’t ignite
3. placing a barrier btwn host and agent
   - ex. using sunscreen in the summer acts as a barrier btwn the sun’s energy and a person’s skin
4. completely separate the host from potentially dangerous sources of energy
   - ex. locking up guns and poisons from kids

Question 17

who were the early contributors for injury prevention and control

Answer 17

1. John gordon
   - 1949 - proposed that the tools of epidemiology (statistics) should be used to analyze injuries
2. William haddon jr
   - Engineer and physician
   - Considered the founding father of modern injury prevention research

Question 18

what does the model for unintentional injuries contain?

Answer 18

Environment, host, and energy producing agent

Question 19

what are some prevention and control tactics based on the model for unintentional injuries?

Answer 19

1. Prevent accumulation of energy producing agent
   - Ex. remove high chair
2. Prevent inappropriate release of excess energy
   - Ex. don’t turn stove up too high
3. Placing barrier btwn host and agent
4. Separate host from potentially dangerous sources of energy

Question 20

what are the community approaches to prevention of unintentional injuries?

Answer 20

1. Education - process of changing people’s health-directed behaviour
   - Ex. fire drills
2. Regulation - enacting and enforcing laws to control conduct
   - Ex. speed limit to reduce car crashes
3. Automatic protection - modifying products or environments to reduce risk
   - Ex. medications w/ child proof caps
4. Litigation - seeking justice (ex. Lawsuits) for injury through courts

Question 21

types of intentional injuries

Answer 21

• Assaults, rapes suicides, homicides
• Can be perpetrated against family members, community members, or complete strangers
• Costly due to loss of life and productivity, economic cost to community

Question 22

epidemiology of intentional injuries

Answer 22

• Interpersonal violence disproportionately affects those frustrated, hopeless, jobless, living in poverty, w/ low self-esteem
• More acts committed by males
• Firearms increasingly involved alcohol and drug use contributes
• Perps more likely to have been abused or neglected as kids or exposed to violence

Question 23

groups that experience higher rates of violent victimization

Answer 23

Males, black persons, and young persons 12-24 experience the most violent victimizations in the US

Question 24

demographics of those who commit suicide in canada

Answer 24

• Canadian males experience 2 periods over their lives where they’re most likely to die by suicide - late 40s, and past age 90
• For females there is a peak in early 50s
• Across all canadian provinces, males more likely to commit suicide

Question 25

firearm injuries and injury deaths

Answer 25

- can be Intentional and unintentional - Firearms 3rd leading cause of injury death - Highest risk for homicide and suicide inovlving firearms are teenn boys and young men - Guns on college campuses - Absence of detailed federally supported reporting system

Question 26

who is most likely to be violent?

Answer 26

People who lack basic problem solving and communication skills

Question 27

family violence and abuse

Answer 27

use of physical force by a family member against another w/ the intent to hurt, injure, or cause death

Question 28

child maltreatment

Answer 28

act or failure to act by a parent, caretaker, or other person as defined by law that results in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child

Question 29

child abuse

Answer 29

the intentional physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual mistreatment of a minor

Question 30

child neglect

Answer 30

failure of a parent/guardian to care for or provide necessary subsistence for a child

Question 31

key to prevention of child maltreatment

Answer 31

timely reporting

Question 32

key to elder maltreatment and prevention

Answer 32

learn the signs, report fast

Question 33

Intimate partner violence and prevention

Answer 33

Sexual violence, stalking, psychological abuse by a current or former intimate partner (spouses, bf, gf, dating partners, sexual partners)

Question 34

how has violence in schools changed

Answer 34

- Victimization rates in recent yrs hasn’t changed much (gone down 3% and steady) - Fighting and weapon carrying - 0 tolerance policies - Bullying and being bullied

Question 35

What is a youth gang? Why are gangs attractive to some youths? How can communities compete for youths’ attention?

Answer 35

- association of peers, bound by mutual interests and identifiable lines of authority whose acts generally include illegal activity and control over a territory or enterprise - some seek refuge and a community

Question 36

Describe the best ways in which communities can respond to youth gang violence.

Answer 36

- involve law enforcement, education, diversion activities, and social services supprot - sports