Injury Prevention


How Does Injury Prevention Fit Into Public Health?


In the United States:

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Nearly 192,900 people die from violence and injuries each year–nearly 1 person every 3 minutes.

  hospital icon More than 3 million people are hospitalized and 27 million people treated in emergency rooms as a result of violence and injuries each year.

  cost icon Violence and injuries cost more than $671 billion in medical care and lost productivity each year.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/about/index.html

Like diseases, injuries are preventable—they do not occur at random. Injuries and violence are so common that we often accept them as just part of life. But they can be prevented, and their consequences reduced.  For example:

 

  • Seat belts have saved an estimated 255,000 lives between 1975 and 2008.
  • School-based programs to prevent violence have been shown to cut violent behavior 29% among high school students and 15% across all grade levels.
  • Ignition interlocks, or in-car breathalyzers, can reduce the rate of re-arrest among drivers convicted of driving while intoxicated by a median of 67%.
  • Tai chi and other exercise programs for older adults have been shown to reduce falls by as much as half among participants

 Source: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/about/index.html


The Greendale Health Department would like to help keep the community as safe as possible.
Use the navigation menu to find more information on burn awareness, fall prevention, gun safety, intimate partner violence, and toy safety. Find these topics using the navigation bar to the left and picking from the drop down menu that appears when hovering over Injury Prevention.

To keep up to date on the latest recalls and safety information go to https://www.cpsc.gov/ or sign up for the CPSC email at https://www.cpsc.gov/en/Newsroom/Subscribe/

Wheeled Sports Safety
Riding a bike, scooter, skateboards, or skates can be a fun and healthy choice, even more so when you wear a helmet!  Well-fitting helmets can decrease the risk of head injuries by about 45 percent, yet less than half of kids 14 and under usually wear a bike helmet. The top reasons why parents report their children do not always wear a helmet is the perception that the area is safe, they view their child as experienced, or they just don’t see helmets as necessary.  In 2019, there were 114,283 emergency room visits for bicycling-related injuries among children.  Children of parents who model safe riding (by wearing a helmet) are more likely to wear helmets regularly as well (Safe Kids Wisconsin).