Deaths from unintentional injuries in rural areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Abstract

Deaths from accidental injury in the rural areas of 13 provinces in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1993 to 1994 were investigated. The crude mortality rate was 4.33 per 1000 and the number of deaths from unintentional injuries was 5213 (10.7% of all deaths). There were more deaths among males than females (65.7 per 100 000 versus 26.1 per 100 000). After the age of 1 year, over 65-year-olds had the highest average of deaths resulting from injuries (111.9 per 100 000). The leading causes of death were traffic accidents (55.0%), drowning (10.1%), falls (9.5%) and burns and scalding (9.5%). Since most injuries are preventable, their reduction should be considered a priority.