Home Injuries More Serious than Previously Realized

Injuries within the home are a much more serious problem than many Americans may realize, according to new research published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine.

The new research, the State of Home Safety in America report, commissioned by the Home Safety Council and undertaken by the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center shows the magnitude of this national crisis and the clear need for home safety education and greater research in the area of home dangers.

“The State of Home Safety in America is the nation’s first comprehensive view of how unintentional home injuries impact our country and provides valuable information on dangers that cause the alarming number of injuries in and around American homes each year,” said Home Safety Council president Meri-K Appy. “The report serves as an important tool for public educators and a wake-up call for homes and families across the country. These findings underscore the critical need for education and action to help reduce the risk of injury within the home.”

The newly published findings reportedly show that unintentional injuries at home result in an average of nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits each year. The study also concludes that home injuries can cost society up to $387 billion each year, with leading causes of home injury related deaths being falls, poisonings, fires and burns, choking/suffocation and drowning.

Along with comprehensive national injury findings, the State of Home Safety in America details home injury statistics for each state, the cost of home injuries to both businesses and society and a breakdown of age groups at greatest risk of home injuries.

Topics drawn from the published research findings include:
– The effect of unintentional home injuries on morbidity and mortality
– The cost of unintentional home injuries
– Risk and protective factors for fires, burns and carbon monoxide
poisoning in U.S. households
– Prevalence of selected risk and protective factors for falls in the
home

For information and resources to help people learn more and stay safe in and around the home, visit http://www.homesafetycouncil.org .