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Project Objectives
The project will address both intentional and unintentional injuries in the European Union. The project will pool expertise in epidemiology and injury research from across the EU by providing a regular system of disseminating injury information via technical reports, newsletters and a website.
Data will be disseminated through both numerical form and through textual commentary of current trends in injury throughout the EU.
1. Topic of project
Injury and violence epidemiology
2. Aim/objective of project (brief)
- To conduct a literature review of the epidemiology and prevention of injury.
- To identify and collate up-to-date mortality data on injury in the EU.
- Examine and describe current epidemiological trends and determinants on both unintentional and intentional injuries (including violence), with special reference to geographical (inter-country) differences and time trends.
- To seek to explain geographical and secular variation in injury mortality between countries.
- Promote information exchange on the uses of the data on unintentional and intentional injuries and provide a consistent version of standardised rates for reference purposes.
3. Innovation of project
Updated analyses and interpretation of epidemiological data on injuries in the EU
4. Outcomes of project (tools developed)
- Road traffic and self-inflicted injuries are the most common cause of injury death.
- In most countries, injury is more common in males.
- Road traffic injuries are the commonest injury-related death among males.
- Specific interventions have been shown to reduce unintentional injury incidence.
- In the case of suicide, while some interventions may indicate benefit, there is little or no evidence for most.
5. Key health messages (outcomes)
If all EU countries achieved rates similar to that of the country with the lowest injury rate, the EU would achieve one third fewer deaths each year. The main deficiency in injury data is the lack of cause of death data regarding events leading up to incident.
6. Conclusions and recommendations (policy oriented and other)
A standardised approach across the EU to the definition, recording, coding, classification and reporting of injury data is key.
If an EU-wide injury prevention strategy were to be employed successfully, thousands of needless deaths could (potentially) be prevented annually.
More research is required to understand the reasons for the low rates of injury mortality in certain countries.
7. Publications related to the project
- 3 EUROMOTIVE newsletters
- 2 EUROSAVE technical reports
- EUROMOITVE website (www.euro-motive.net)
- Executive
Summary report, June 2004
(110
KB)
- Final
Report report, June 2004
(360
KB)
8. Future policy development
A strategic report is required using the three basic steps of development, implementation and evaluation. Audit and evaluation are essential if injury prevention is to be continually improved.
9. General comments
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