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Health Indicator Report of Unintentional Injury Deaths

In Utah, unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death and disability. They accounted for 1,462 deaths in 2020. In addition, thousands of other injuries are being treated in hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, emergency departments, homes, schools, and work sites. In 2020, the leading causes of unintentional injury death for all ages in Utah were poisoning, falls, motor vehicle traffic crashes, drowning/submersion, and suffocation. Most injuries can be prevented by choosing safe behaviors, using safety equipment, and obeying safety laws. High-priority prevention areas include: poisoning, fall-related injury, motor vehicle crash injury, suffocation, pedestrian injury, and drowning/submersion.

Notes

ICD-10 codes V01-X59, Y85-Y86. Does not include legal intervention. Age-adjusted to U.S. 2000 standard population, using the three age-adjustment groups.

Data Sources

  • Utah Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health
  • Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for Counties in Utah, U.S. Bureau of the Census, IBIS Version 2018

Definition

Unintentional deaths due to all causes per 100,000 population. ICD-10 codes V01-X59, Y85-Y86.

Numerator

Number of unintentional injury deaths. (ICD-10 codes V01-X59, Y85-Y86)

Denominator

Total number of persons in the population of Utah.

Healthy People Objective: Reduce unintentional injury deaths

U.S. Target: 36.4 deaths per 100,000 population
State Target: 29.4 deaths per 100,000 population

Other Objectives

Utah's 42 Community Health Indicators

How Are We Doing?

The Utah annual age-adjusted rate of unintentional injury deaths has been on a slow upward trajectory since 2006 when the rate was 30.1 per 100,000 population. In 2020, the rate was 49.4 per 100,000 population. The 2020 unintentional injury death rate increased 17% in the last 10 years from the 2011 rate of 42.1 per 100,000 population. Twenty years ago in 2001 the leading causes of unintentional injury death were motor vehicle traffic deaths and fall deaths. Motor vehicle traffic death rates have declined over the last 20 years while fall death rates have increased. Unintentional poisoning death rates have skyrocketed to be the leading cause of unintentional injury death in Utah.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The U.S. unintentional injury death rate has been higher than the Utah rate since 2016. In 2019 (the most recent US data) the age-adjusted rate for the U.S. was 49.2 per 100,000 and the Utah rate was 45.3.

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Department of Health Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) is working with several agencies, such as the Utah Department of Public Safety, Primary Children's Medical Center, and the 13 local health departments to further reduce unintentional injury deaths. Most injuries can be prevented by choosing safe behaviors, using safety equipment, and obeying safety laws. High-priority prevention areas include poisonings, motor vehicle crash injury, and fall-related injury.

Available Services

Utah Department of Health, Violence and Injury Prevention Program[[br]] 801-538-6141[[br]] [http://health.utah.gov/vipp/] Utah Poison Control Center[[br]] 801-581-7504 (for general information)[[br]] 1-800-222-1222 (emergency hotline) Use Only As Directed[[br]] [http://useonlyasdirected.org/] Utah Fire Marshal[[br]] 801-284-6350[[br]] [http://firemarshal.utah.gov/] Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition[[br]] 801-538-6852[[br]] [https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-utah] Primary Children's Medical Center[[br]] 801-588-2000 Utah Office of Highway Safety[[br]] 801-293-2480[[br]] [https://highwaysafety.utah.gov/] Utah Safety Council[[br]] 801-262-5400[[br]] [http://www.utahsafetycouncil.org] Intermountain Injury Control Research Center[[br]] 801-581-6410[[br]] [http://medicine.utah.edu/pediatrics/critical_care/research/iicrc.php] Utah AAA[[br]] 801-364-5615[[br]] [[br]] [[br]] '''NATIONAL WEB SITES:''' National Center for Injury Prevention and Control[[br]] [http://www.cdc.gov/injury/] National Highway Transportation Safety Administration[[br]] [http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/] National SAFE KIDS Campaign[[br]] [http://www.safekids.org/] Children's Safety Network[[br]] [http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission[[br]] [http://www.cpsc.gov/]

Health Program Information

The VIPP collaborates with the Utah Highway Safety Office, Zero Fatalities campaign, and local health departments to conduct educational campaigns which target 16- to 19-year-old drivers, young pedestrians, law enforcement, etc. as funding allows. The Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition works to prevent unintentional injuries among children through raising community awareness, influencing policies, promoting safety, and establishing private/public partnerships. Inspections and instructions on the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and bicycle helmets are offered routinely to the public with car seat checkpoints and helmet education and distribution statewide. The Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) is a trusted and comprehensive resource for data related to violence and injury. Through education, this information helps promote partnerships and programs to prevent injuries and improve public health.

Page Content Updated On 10/27/2021, Published on 11/10/2022
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health's Center for Health Data IBIS-PH web site (http://epht.health.utah.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 28 March 2024 12:20:23 from Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://epht.health.utah.gov ".

Content updated: Thu, 10 Nov 2022 17:41:13 MST