America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009

Adolescent Injury and Mortality

Injury accounts for close to 80 percent of adolescent deaths. Compared with younger children, adolescents ages 15–19 have much higher mortality rates overall and from injuries. Adolescents are much more likely to die from injuries sustained from motor vehicle traffic crashes and firearms than are younger children.⁹⁰ The leading causes of nonfatal injuries in adolescents also differ from those in younger children. For example, the leading cause of adolescent nonfatal injury is being struck by or against an object or person, whereas for younger children, the leading cause of nonfatal injury is falls (see PHY6.A). In addition, nonfatal injuries for adolescents more often result from violence, sports-related activities, or motor vehicle traffic crashes. For each fatal injury among adolescents, there are 11 hospitalizations and nearly 300 emergency department visits for injuries.⁸⁷

Indicator PHY7.A: Emergency department visit rates for adolescents ages 15–19 by leading causes of injury visits, 2005–2006

• In 2005–2006, the leading causes of initial injury-related emergency department visits among adolescents ages 15–19 were being struck by or against an department visits resulted object or person (26 visits per 1,000), motor vehicle traffic crashes (24 visits per 1,000), and falls (22 visits per 1,000), altogether accounting for about half of all injury-related emergency department visits for this age group.
• Injury emergency department visits for adolescents being struck by or against an object or person were most often the result of a sports-related activity (33 percent) or an assault (26 percent).⁸⁸
• Injuries caused by cutting or piercing from instruments or objects, overexertion from excessive physical exercise or strenuous movements in recreational or other activities, natural or environmental factors, and poisonings were also among the leading causes of injury-related emergency department visits among adolescents ages 15–19, ranging from 5–12 visits per 1,000 adolescents.
• For adolescents ages 15–19, 3 percent of injury-related emergency in hospitalizations.⁸⁸

Indicator PHY7.B: Death rates among adolescents ages 15–19 by all causes and all injury causes and selected mechanisms of injury, 1980–2006

• In 2006, the death rate for adolescents ages 15–19 was 64 per 100,000. Nearly 80 percent of adolescent deaths occurred from injuries (50 per 100,000). Both the total and injury death rates have declined substantially since 1980, despite a period of increase from 1986 to 1991.
• Motor vehicle traffic and firearm injuries accounted for 71 percent of adolescent injury deaths in 2006. The motor vehicle traffic death rate declined since 1980. The firearm death rate was steady from 1980 to 1987, increased from 1987 to 1994, and declined by more than half since 1994. In 2006, the firearm death rate was 13 per 100,000 adolescents, an increase from 2005.
• Injury deaths can also be reported by intent. Unintentional injury accounts for more than 60 percent of all injury deaths among adolescents. In 2006, this rate was 31 deaths per 100,000 adolescents ages 15–19, unchanged from 2005.
• For intentional injuries, there were 11 homicides per 100,000 adolescents ages 15–19 in 2006, an increase from 2005. In 2006, there were 9 firearm homicides per 100,000, an increase from 2005. There were 7 suicide deaths per 100,000 adolescents ages 15–19 in 2006, unchanged from 2005.

 PHY7.A HTML Table, PHY7.B HTML Table