Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;102(11):e84-92.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300960. Epub 2012 Sep 20.

Leading causes of unintentional and intentional injury mortality: United States, 2000-2009

Ian R H Rockett  1 , Michael D Regier, Nestor D Kapusta, Jeffrey H Coben, Ted R Miller, Randy L Hanzlick, Knox H Todd, Richard W Sattin, Leslie W Kennedy, John Kleinig, Gordon S Smith
Affiliations

Leading causes of unintentional and intentional injury mortality: United States, 2000-2009

Ian R H Rockett et al. Am J Public Health. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: We have described national trends for the 5 leading external causes of injury mortality.

Methods: We used negative binomial regression and annual underlying cause-of-death data for US residents for 2000 through 2009.

Results: Mortality rates for unintentional poisoning, unintentional falls, and suicide increased by 128%, 71%, and 15%, respectively. The unintentional motor vehicle traffic crash mortality rate declined 25%. Suicide ranked first as a cause of injury mortality, followed by motor vehicle traffic crashes, poisoning, falls, and homicide. Females had a lower injury mortality rate than did males. The adjusted fall mortality rate displayed a positive age gradient. Blacks and Hispanics had lower adjusted motor vehicle traffic crash and suicide mortality rates and higher adjusted homicide rates than did Whites, and a lower unadjusted total injury mortality rate.

Conclusions: Mortality rates for suicide, poisoning, and falls rose substantially over the past decade. Suicide has surpassed motor vehicle traffic crashes as the leading cause of injury mortality. Comprehensive traffic safety measures have successfully reduced the national motor vehicle traffic crash mortality rate. Similar efforts will be required to diminish the burden of other injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Annual crude and age-adjusted mortality rates from (a) disease and (b) injury: United States, 1980–2008. Note. ICD = International Classification of Diseases. The vertical dashed lines demarcate the transition between revisions ICD-9 and ICD-10.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Rates for leading causes of total unintentional and intentional injury mortality: United States, 2000–2009. Note. MV = motor vehicle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. US Census Bureau. The 2012 Statistical Abstract: Life Expectancy. Available at: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0105.pdf. Accessed March 5, 2012.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research. Available at: http://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D67. Accessed November 29, 2011.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Available at: http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_us.html. Accessed January 26, 2012.
    1. Fingerhut LA, Cox CS. Poisoning mortality, 1985–1995. Public Health Rep. 1998;113(3):218–233 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rockett IRH, Hobbs G, De Leo Det al.Suicide and unintentional poisoning mortality trends in the United States, 1987–2006: two unrelated phenomena? BMC Public Health. 2010;10:705. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms