Injuries a leading cause of death among young people: study

Atlanta – Unintentional injuries, suicide and homicide are the top causes of death for people 30 and younger, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

In 2010, nearly four-fifths of all deaths suffered by people 30 or younger were injury-related. For all ages, unintentional injury deaths killed about 37.9 people per 100,000 in 2010, researchers found, with the top causes being motor vehicle crashes, poisoning, falls, suffocation, drowning and fires.

Every three minutes, an American dies due to an injury or violence, the report states. However, researchers stressed that injuries can be prevented.

“Prevention has a strong scientific foundation, yet efforts are not fully implemented or integrated into clinical and community settings,” researchers said in the report.

To help reduce injuries and violence, researchers recommend creating alliances between the public health community and medical care organizations, health care providers, states, and communities.

The report was published online July 2 in The Lancet.