By Nicole Rogers, MPH, CHES
Though heart disease and cancer continue to be the leading causes of death in Bexar County, the 2006 Bexar County Community Health Assessment found that the leading cause of premature death in Bexar Count is unintentional injury.
In fact, unintentional injury is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, ranking as the fifth leading cause in 2003. Injuries are the leading causes of death and disability among people under age 35, and these injuries result in more than 150,000 deaths, 2.6 million hospitalizations and 36 million visits to the emergency room each year.
During the summer months, the opportunity for unintentional injury increases. The kids are out of school, families are on vacation, and it’s time for more outdoor activities such as riding bikes and swimming. It is important to understand the impact of unintentional injury on individuals and on the community as well as to understand what we can do to reduce them.
The Bexar County Community Health Assessment, published by The Health Collaborative, measured the leading causes of death in Bexar County in two ways: the age adjusted rate based on the number of people who died, and the number of years of potential life lost as a result of death. The number of years of potential life lost (YPLL) is a measure of premature death, which is death occurring earlier than 65 years of age. Premature death has dramatic impact on the family and the community. YPLL was chosen as a measure of mortality for the assessment because it reflects the burden that the loss places on the community to fill the gap left by the loss of a productive member of the community.
Nineteen percent of years of life lost to premature death in Bexar County are the result of vehicle crashes and injury in the home and in other locations. The people who die due to unintentional injuries tend to be young. On average, an individual who dies of an unintentional injury loses 29 years of life.
Here’s what you can do to help
Drive safely. Vehicle crashes alone account for more than one-half of years of life lost to premature unintentional injury deaths in Bexar County. People who die from vehicle crashes lose an average of 34 years of life. When compared to the average of 12 years for those who die prematurely from cancer and 11 years for victims of heart disease, it is obvious that Bexar County would benefit substantially from efforts to reduce unintentional injuries, especially vehicle crash deaths.
Use seatbelts and child safety seats. Seatbelt use is high across Bexar County. The Healthy People 2010 goal is for at least 92 percent of adults to wear seatbelts. In Bexar County 89 percent of adults reported using seatbelts. They also reported that 93 percent of children are in child safety seats when they ride in cars. Continuous efforts to maintain and improve the use of automobile safety restraints need to be supported and sustained.
If you drive, don’t drink. A large number of automobile crashes involve the use of alcohol. Considerable attention has been given to this problem in the last several years. Although progress has been made, it is important that efforts continue to discourage this behavior.
Practice water safety. Every year children and adults drown in area swimming pools and lakes. It is important that children learn how to safely enjoy swimming and water sports. In 2002 more than 42 percent of parents living in Bexar County reported that their child had participated in swimming or water safety classes.
Wear a helmet. Wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating, and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, studies on bicycle helmets have shown they can reduce the risk of heat injury by as much as 85 percent.
Practice safety at home. Make sure your home playground is safe. Prevent pool tragedy by placing barriers completely around your pool to prevent access. Use door and pool alarms. Closely supervise children in the pool area and be prepared in case of an emergency.
Put your cell phone on ICE. Emergency personnel are urging cell phone users to put the acronym ICE (“In Case of Emergency”) before the names of the people they want to designate as next of kin in their cell address book. This will save paramedics, police and firefighters valuable time trying to figure out which name in the phone to call when disaster strikes. This is especially important for teens since parental consent is needed for any medical services beyond emergency care.
For additional information on unintentional injury, visit the Web site, www.healthcollaborative.net.
Nicole Rogers, MPH, CHES, is the executive director of the Health Collaborative, a cutting-edge, public-private model for solving community health issues. Partners include the major health systems in San Antonio, Metro Health, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, Community First Health Plans, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and a community representative. For more information, visit www.healthcollaborative.net.
