Epidemiology of Diseases

Abstract

An estimated premature mortality in the developed world in excess of one-third is due to obesity, smoking, and injuries; the latter is the leading cause of death among the younger and most productive age groups and the major contributor of potential years of life lost compared with any other human ailment. It has been calculated that in the European Union and the United States alone, more than 50% of lives lost in the injury epidemic battle could have been saved, mainly via passive safety measures and environmental modifications. Furthermore, promotion of simple injury prevention measures, e.g., encouraging walking instead of driving, seems to coincide with healthy behaviors aimed to combat other major nosological entities such as obesity and cancer. Therefore, injury prevention seems to be a public health priority with a potentially high return on the investment. An overview of the injury epidemiology in terms of basic terminology, classification and coding systems, burden of disease, and risk factors is presented in this article along with current challenges in the field. © 2008 Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.