Unintentional Injury Mortality
Date Posted: 05/01/2007
Quick Data Links
- Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) - Colorado & Larimer County, 1995-2005
- Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) by Type - Colorado & Larimer County, 2005
- Average Mortality Rates (per 100,000) for Unintentional Injury by Age Group - Larimer County, 1999-2005
- Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) by Gender - Larimer County, 1999-2005
- Total Unintentional Injury Deaths by Race/ Ethnicity - Larimer County, 1999-2005
The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment lists three types of death due to injury in Colorado: unintentional, intentional (suicide, homicide, or legal intervention) and undetermined intent. Unintentional injuries make the majority (64%) of these deaths.
Mortality refers to the number or rate of deaths that occur in a population. Age-adjusted rates (for comparison of differing populations) and crude rates (i.e., number of deaths by population) were used wherever appropriate. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment suppresses data when confidentiality may be breached. Therefore, in some instances (i.e., unintentional injury deaths from firearms in Larimer County) data was unavailable and is listed as <3 (total deaths) or <1 per 100,000 (rate). The period 1999-2005 was analyzed to compare data on a consistent scale (death data was recoded in 1999).
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset
What these data tell us:
Both Colorado and Larimer County experienced increased rates of unintentional injury mortality between 1995 and 2005. Neither rates met the Healthy People 2010 target of 17.5 (or fewer) deaths per 100,000 in the population. Colorado averaged approximately 42 deaths per 100,000, compared to 36 deaths for Larimer County. The years in which Larimer County experienced noticeable changes in mortality rate included (increases) 2000 and 2004, and (decrease) 2001.In 2000, the high mortality rate appeared to be the primary result of motor vehicle (37), and 'other and unspecified non-transport' (26) deaths (for mechanism of injury types, click here). In 2004, the higher rate may have been the result of increases in death due to: other and unspecified non-transport injuries (19), falls (16), water, air, & space injuries (7), and drowning and submersion (6). The decrease in 2001 mortality rates appear to be the result of a decrease in the 'other and unspecified non-transport' injuries (13), which decreased 50% when compared to 2000 (click here for definitions).
The increasing trend in Larimer County for unintentional injury mortality may have been due to increases in certain types of injuries when comparing average deaths for 1995-2000 to those from 2001-2005. For instance, average: poisoning deaths doubled from 6 to 13, motor vehicle accident deaths increased from 31 to 37, death due to falls increased from 11 to 16, and water, air, and space injury death doubled from 3 to 6 deaths. To see a table detailing the number of unintentional injury deaths by type for 1995-2005, click here.
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset
What these data tell us:
Unintentional injuries resulting in death are categorized as transport or non-transport injuries. In 2005, the number of Larimer County transport injuries resulting in death included: motor vehicle injuries (32), water/air/space transport injuries (6), and other land transportation injuries (<3). The number of non-transport injuries that resulted in death included: falls (24), 'other and unspecified non-transport injuries' (16), poisonings (12), smoke/fire/flames injury (3), drowning and submersion (<3), and firearms (<3). Of these various types of injury-related deaths, four (motor vehicle accidents, falls, firearm-related, and poisonings) have specific Healthy People 2010 target objectives which can be compared with available data for Larimer County. Larimer County succeeded in meeting only one of those standards (firearm related deaths below 4.5 per 100,000) during the years from 1999 to 2005. Click the following options to view:- Mortality rates by injury type with specific target objectives
- Number of primary unintentional injury hospitalizations.
What this chart shows: Average Mortality Rates (per 100,000) for Unintentional Injury by Age Group Larimer County, 1999-2005
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset
What these data tell us:
In Larimer County, the likelihood for unintentional injury increases as one reaches 65 years of age and greatly increases after 85. Falls are the main cause of injury for people over 65 in Larimer County, and in 2005, caused 6 out of 7 deaths (86%) for those over 65. Other unintentional causes that affect those 65 and older include: motor vehicle accidents, residential fire-related, and traumatic brain injury.National data (2002) shows that unintentional injury was the number one cause of death in people aged 1 to 44. In Larimer County (1999-2005), 35% of all deaths in this age span were due to unintentional injury. The age group experiencing the most deaths due to unintentional injury during the period was those aged 15-24 (96 deaths). Unintentional injuries accounted for 56% of the deaths in this group, with 72% being motor vehicle related (69 deaths).
Additional Information:
Definitions (Summarized below)
(From Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)
Unintentional 'Transportation' Injuries
- Includes events that involve: Railway; motor vehicle traffic; motorcyclists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and swimmers, as well as injuries sustained from use of off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, roller-skates/skateboards/skis/snowboards, animals being ridden, boats, and aircraft/spacecraft.
Unintentional 'Non-Transportation' Injuries
- Includes events that involve: drowning (boat, recreational, bathtub), poisoning (due to excessive alcohol and drugs, carbon monoxide); falls; fire/ burn; natural/environmental: (injuries from excessive environmental exposure and animals bites); 'Other Unintentional Injuries:' aspiration/suffocation, foreign bodies entering the body, falling objects, striking against or by objects or people, being caught in or between objects, machinery, cutting or piercing instruments, firearms/airguns, electric current, overexertion, and other unspecified mechanisms).
Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths by Injury Type - Larimer County, 1995-2005
|
Motor Vehicles |
Other Land Transport |
Water, Air, & Space |
Drowning & Submersion |
Falls |
Firearms |
Poisoning |
Smoke & Fire |
Other and unspecified Non- transport |
|
|
1995 |
29 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
12 |
<3 |
7 |
<3 |
5 |
|
1996 |
32 |
<3 |
3 |
3 |
10 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
7 |
|
1997 |
35 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
16 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
11 |
|
1998 |
23 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
15 |
<3 |
8 |
<3 |
14 |
|
1999 |
29 |
7 |
3 |
<3 |
8 |
<3 |
5 |
<3 |
22 |
|
2000 |
37 |
6 |
4 |
<3 |
7 |
<3 |
5 |
<3 |
26 |
|
2001 |
37 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
8 |
<3 |
7 |
<3 |
13 |
|
2002 |
38 |
<3 |
4 |
4 |
15 |
<3 |
16 |
<3 |
12 |
|
2003 |
51 |
<3 |
<3 |
<3 |
16 |
<3 |
14 |
<3 |
11 |
|
2004 |
29 |
<3 |
7 |
6 |
16 |
<3 |
15 |
<3 |
19 |
|
2005 |
32 |
<3 |
6 |
<3 |
24 |
<3 |
12 |
3 |
16 |
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset
|
|
Motor Vehicles |
Falls |
Firearms |
Poisoning |
|
1995 |
13 |
7 |
<1 |
3 |
|
1996 |
13 |
6 |
<1 |
<1 |
|
1997 |
15 |
9 |
<1 |
<1 |
|
1998 |
9 |
8 |
<1 |
3 |
|
1999 |
11 |
4 |
<1 |
2 |
|
2000 |
15 |
4 |
<1 |
2 |
|
2001 |
14 |
4 |
<1 |
3 |
|
2002 |
14 |
7 |
<1 |
7 |
|
2003 |
18 |
7 |
<1 |
5 |
|
2004 |
11 |
8 |
<1 |
5 |
|
2005 |
11 |
11 |
<1 |
4 |
|
Target |
9.2 |
3 |
4.5 |
1.5 |
* Age-Adjusted Rates
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset
Primary Unintentional Injury Hospitalizations (Number) - Larimer County, 2005
|
|
Larimer |
Colorado |
|
1. Falls |
735 |
13517 |
|
2. Motor Vehicle |
188 |
4646 |
|
3. Poisoning |
61 |
1344 |
|
4. Machinery/Tools |
29 |
699 |
|
5. Fire/Burns |
15 |
304 |
|
6. Bites/Stings |
7 |
305 |
|
7. Firearms/Airguns |
4 |
7 |
|
8. Drowning |
3 |
24 |
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset
On Compass-
- Adult Arrests
- Alcohol Traffic Related Fatalities
- Mortality
- Vehicle Miles Traveled
- Work Commute
- Youth Alcohol & Drug Use
Outside Compass-
- Colorado Injury Control Research Center, Colorado State University
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Injury in Colorado, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- Injury Prevention Program, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Injury Prevention
- National Program for Playground Safety
- National Resource Center on Aging and Injury
- National SAFE KIDS Campaign
- SafeUSA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Industry Standards or Targets:
For a complete list of injury prevention objectives, click here. Target rates are age-adjusted.
Target: 17.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
Target: 9.2 deaths per 100,000 population.
Target: 3 deaths per 100,000
Target: 1.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
Target: 4.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
Data Tables:
Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate (per 100,000), 1995-2005*
|
|
Colorado |
Larimer County |
||||
|
Total Deaths |
Total Population |
Rate |
Total Deaths |
Total Population |
Rate |
|
|
1995 |
1381 |
3,811,078 |
39 |
58 |
221,626 |
28 |
|
1996 |
1378 |
3,902,506 |
38 |
56 |
227,251 |
26 |
|
1997 |
1420 |
3,995,955 |
39 |
66 |
232,800 |
31 |
|
1998 |
1462 |
4,102,500 |
39 |
65 |
239,080 |
31 |
|
1999 |
1506 |
4,216,006 |
39 |
76 |
246,158 |
33 |
|
2000 |
1715 |
4,338,789 |
43 |
88 |
253,131 |
37 |
|
2001 |
1702 |
4,446,919 |
41 |
69 |
260,224 |
29 |
|
2002 |
1803 |
4,521,798 |
43 |
89 |
263,903 |
37 |
|
2003 |
1783 |
4,586,782 |
42 |
97 |
265,493 |
37 |
|
2004 |
1791 |
4,653,000 |
42 |
96 |
269,134 |
39 |
|
2005 |
1928 |
4,722,460 |
44 |
96 |
271,990 |
37 |
* Age-Adjusted Rates.
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset
Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) & Total Number of Deaths, 2004
|
Colorado |
Larimer |
|||
|
Number |
Rate |
Number |
Rate |
|
|
Transport injuries |
||||
|
662 |
14 |
32 |
11 |
|
16 |
<1 |
<3 |
<1 |
|
56 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
|
Non-transport injuries |
||||
|
42 |
1 |
<3 |
<1 |
|
392 |
11 |
24 |
11 |
|
9 |
<1 |
<3 |
<1 |
|
441 |
9 |
12 |
4 |
|
23 |
<1 |
3 |
1 |
|
287 |
7 |
16 |
6 |
*Age-Adjusted Rates
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset
Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) by Age Group - Larimer County 1999-2005*
|
|
Rate |
Deaths |
|
<1 |
35 |
8 |
|
1-4 |
10 |
9 |
|
5-14 |
6 |
13 |
|
15-24 |
30 |
96 |
|
25-34 |
26 |
71 |
|
35-44 |
32 |
90 |
|
45-54 |
29 |
79 |
|
55-64 |
30 |
46 |
|
65-74 |
47 |
44 |
|
75-84 |
114 |
69 |
|
85+ |
400 |
86 |
* Crude Rates
Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Health Information Dataset