50,000 a year seriously injured in land transport accidents; 26,000 under 30 years of age
Over 50,000 people were seriously injured in land transport
accidents in 2005-06 according to a new report, Serious injury
due to land transport accidents, Australia, 2005-06, released
today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and
the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development
and Local Government.
Hospitalised farm injury among children and young people, Australia 2000-01 to 2004-05
Over the five-year period 2000-01 to 2004-05, a total of at least 3,926 children and young people were hospitalised as the result of injuries sustained on farms. This briefing focuses on these cases.
Injury among young Australians
'Injury among young Australians' provides comprehensive information on injury incidence, hospitalisations and deaths among young people in Australia. It presents the most up-to-date available data, as well as trend data, on major causes of injury for this population group, including transport accidents, intentional self-harm and suicide, assault and accidental poisoning. Information is presented for these and other causes by age and sex, Indigenous status, remoteness of residence and socioeconomic status, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of injury among young Australians. This bulletin will be relevant to anyone interested in gaining an insight into the patterns of morbidity and mortality among young people due to injury.
Transport accidents and suicide top causes of injury death among youth
Transport accidents and suicide are the two leading causes of
injury death among young people, according to a report released
today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Venomous bites and stings in Australia to 2005
This report describes the bites and stings due to contact with venomous animals and plants that resulted in a separation from an Australian hospital in the period 1st July 2002 to 30th June 2005. Analyses of bite and sting cases over time (1999-05) are also presented.Hospitalised bites and stings were most frequently attributed to spiders, bees and wasps while snakebites were a less frequent cause of hospitalisation. Higher rates of serious bites and stings were generally observed for males and for younger people. Little change in the rate of hospitalised bites and stings was noted over time. This report demonstrates that changes made to the ICD-10-AM classification system from 1st July 2002 have greatly improved the specificity and utility of hospitalised bite and sting data.
Spiders and bees cause most venomous bite and sting hospitalisations
Over 11,000 people in Australia were hospitalised because of a
venomous bite or sting between 2002 and 2005, according to a report
released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW).
Deaths and hospitalisations due to drowning, Australia 1999-00 to 2003-04
This report presents national statistics on deaths and hospitalisations due to drowning for the five-year period 1999-00 to 2003-04. Drowning occurs in a number of settings and contexts: in bodies of natural water, in swimming pools and bathtubs, in association with watercraft and as the result of intentional self-harm. Drownings resulting in death and hospitalisation are described in relation to these in terms of case numbers and rates, by age and sex, remoteness of usual residence, length of stay in hospital, and other characteristics. This report will be relevant to anyone interested in gaining an insight into patterns of fatal and non-fatal drowning and the burden they impose on the Australian community.
Drowning - 1,000 a year either die or are hospitalised
Over the five-year reporting period, an average of 370 people
died and 618 were hospitalised each year as a result of drowning,
according to a new report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Rural, regional and remote health: indicators of health status and determinants of health
This report focuses on a comprehensive range of health issues concerning people living in rural, regional and remote Australia. It includes information relating to health status (such as rates of chronic disease, injury and mental health) and determinants of health (such as tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, nutrition and physical activity) and is the 9th report in the AIHW's Rural health series.
Disability in Australia: acquired brain injury
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a common cause of disability among people of all ages. Disabilities related to ABI are often complex and may cause limitations in many areas of life. This bulletin examines ABI in Australia: its causes, the prevalence and severity of disability related to ABI, and the needs of people with ABI in various aspects of life. It also provides a profile of people with ABI who currently use specialist disability services funded under the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement.
Brain injuries more common in men
One in 45 Australians has an acquired brain injury (ABI)
according to a new report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Spinal cord injury, Australia, 2005-06
Severe spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very debilitating injury. This report presents information from the Australian Spinal Cord Injury Register (ASCIR) on 374 newly incident cases from trauma and disease in the year 2005-06. During the year, 284 new cases of SCI from traumatic causes were registered in Australia, an age-adjusted incidence rate of 15.7 cases per million population. The most common clinical outcome of SCI was incomplete tetraplegia (93 cases). Transport related injuries (46%) and falls (33%) accounted for over three-quarters of the 284 cases of traumatic SCI. Cases also occurred during sport (n=35) and working for income, including travel to and from work (n=43). Falling was the most common type of event leading to traumatic SCI at older ages. The ASCIR is a collaborative activity of the AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit and all of the specialist spinal units in Australia.
Transport and falls responsible for most spinal cord injuries
Transport-related injuries and falls accounted for over
three-quarters of all cases of traumatic spinal cord injury in
Australia in 2005-06, according to a new report released today by
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Use of multiple causes of death data for identifying and reporting injury mortality
Prior to 1997, Australian mortality data were assigned a single Underlying cause of death (UCoD). This took the form of a code indicating what had caused an injury to occur. From 1997 onward, up to 13, and later up to 20, Multiple causes of death (MCoDs) could be allocated to any death record. These MCoDs represent nearly all of the information about cause of death that appeared on the death certificate. Of particular interest for injury surveillance was the fact that these Multiple causes of death could identify not only the external cause of an injury, but could also provide information about the nature of the injury.
A picture of osteoarthritis in Australia
Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic joint disease, causing large amounts of disability and pain in the Australian community. Osteoarthritis impacts on the mental health and quality of life of people with the disease. There are a number of risk factors for osteoarthritis including excess weight or obesity, joint injury, repetitive kneeling or squatting and repetitive heavy lifting. Osteoarthritis can be effectively managed with medication, exercise and in some cases surgery. This report brings together the latest data to highlight the impact of osteoarthritis in Australia. The report includes information on the causes, treatment and management of the disease. The information included in the report should be useful to the broader community, policy makers and anyone with an interest in osteoarthritis.
Serious injury due to land transport accidents, Australia 2003-04
This report presents national statistics on serious injury due to transport accidents involving a railway train that resulted in admission to hospital in Australia during the five-year period 1999-00 to 2003-04. It examines variables such as mode of transport, gender and age group. It also focuses on level crossing accidents.
Serious injury due to transport accidents involving a railway train, Australia 1999-00 to 2003-04
This report presents national statistics on serious injury due to transport accidents involving a railway train that resulted in admission to hospital in Australia during the five-year period 1999-00 to 2003-04. It examines variables such as mode of transport, gender and age group. It also focuses on level crossing accidents.
Serious injury due to transport accidents, Australia 2003-04
This report presents national statistics on serious injury due to transport accidents that resulted in admission to hospital in Australia during the one-year period 2003-04. It examines variables such as mode of transport, gender and age group.
Land transport and rail safety reports detail injury rates
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released two new reports
today -- one on serious non-fatal injuries that occurred in land
transport accidents, and another on rail safety in Australia.
Hospitalised football injuries, 2004-05
This briefing provides an overview of football-related hospitalisations during 2004-05. Injuries sustained while playing football accounted for 31% (n=14,147) of all sports and leisure-related hospitalisations during this period. Australian football accounted for 30%, soccer for 24%, and rugby for 21% of all football-related hospitalisations. Over 90% of those hospitalised were aged 34 years or younger while 93% were males. Knee, lower leg and head were the most common regions injured, accounting for 48% of all hospitalisations. Fractures were by far the most common type of injury, accounting for 56% of all hospital admissions. The mean number of bed days for all hospitalisations due to football-related injury was 1.85 days. The estimated direct cost of football-related hospitalisations was close to $44 million.
Ladder-related fall injuries
Falls from ladders contribute a substantial number of emergency department presentations and admissions to Australian hospitals each year. This report examines the nature of hospitalised injuries due to falls from ladders for the 2004-05 financial year.
Hospitalisation due to falls in older people, Australia 2003-04
This report examines Australian hospital data pertaining to fall injuries in people aged 65 and older in 2003-04. The number of fall events resulting in hospitalisation due to injury for older Australians remains high and the rate of fall-related injury incidents is particularly high for the oldest group within this population. Women are at greatest risk of fall-related injury. Fall incidents most commonly result in a fracture and hip fractures are particularly frequent. This report also highlights that a substantial proportion of fall-related injuries are injuries to the head, which may require more specifically-targeted prevention interventions. Multiple hospital separations due to a single fall incident substantially add to the burden of disease for older Australians. Separations principally involving follow-up care, rehabilitation and other fall-related conditions contributed 136% more bed-days than those occupied due to initial episodes due to fall injury incidents and brought the total number of fall-related hospital bed-days for people aged 65 and older in 2003-04 to over 1.2 million. The estimated total cost for fall-related acute care in Australian hospitals for people aged 65 and older in 2003-04 was $566.0 million. This represents a substantial proportion of the burden of disease and health expenditure for this population and suggests that the lifetime cost of falls in older people may be substantially higher than has been previously calculated.
The older you are the harder you fall, especially if you're at home and a woman
The likelihood of sustaining a fall injury serious enough to
require hospitalisation increases exponentially from about 65 years
of age - especially if you're a woman, says a report released today
by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2007
'Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2007' is the third national statistical report on young people in Australia. Using a set of key indicators of health and wellbeing of young people, this report brings together the most up-to-date national data on the health status of young Australians aged 12-24 years and the factors influencing their health. Information on health status includes self-assessed health status, disability, injury, mental health, chronic disease, communicable diseases, hospitalisations and mortality. Factors influencing health addressed in this report include family and community environments, environmental factors, socioeconomic factors including education, employment and income and health behaviours such as weight, physical activity, nutrition and substance use. This report also includes a special section on the health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Timely, comprehensive and accurate information on these factors will enable the formulation of appropriate and effective policies and interventions to achieve long term health and wellbeing for young people.
The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003
'The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003' provides a comprehensive assessment of the health status of Australians. The report measures mortality, disability, impairment, illness and injury arising from 176 diseases, injuries and risk factors using a common metric, the disability-adjusted life year or DALY, and methods developed by the Global Burden of Disease Study. Burden of disease analysis gives a unique perspective on health. Fatal and non-fatal outcomes are integrated, but can be examined separately as well. This report provides detailed estimates of the burden of mortality and disability for each disease and injury category by sex and age. It also assesses the burden attributable to each of 14 major risk factors, and inequalities in the disease burden associated with socioeconomic disadvantage.