COMING YOUR WAY: An Update on Childhood Injury in Iowa

Kay DeGarmo, Director
Prevention of Disabilities Policy Council

For Iowa’s children and young adults between the ages of 12 months and 24 years, injury continues to be the leading cause of disability and death. Health care providers have an important role to play in preventing injuries. They are an integral part of the community support system that assists parents and their children by assessing risk, providing preventive counseling, and initiating referrals for additional services when needed.

A new state report, “Injury in Iowa: A Comprehensive Report” (October 2008), pulls together and analyzes data from multiple state sources to 

provide a baseline for monitoring the incidence and severity of specific types of serious injuries among specific age groups. 

Looking at both intentional and unintentional injuries, the report also provides information we can use to target injury prevention efforts, and a yardstick against which to measure the outcomes of those efforts. The report is a collaborative effort of the Disability and Violence Prevention Bureau in the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of Iowa.

Key findings:

• Motor vehicle traffic trauma is the leading cause of serious injury and death for Iowans between 12 months and 24 years of age.

• Among 15 to 24 year olds, suicide is the second leading cause of death.

• Homicide is the third leading cause of death for children between 1 and 4 years of age and the fourth leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age.

• Five to 14 year olds have the largest percentage of injury-related hospitalization and emergency department visits.

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