Injury in America A Continuing Public Health Problem (1985) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Prevention of Injury
3 Prevention of Injury
Pages 37-47
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 37... ...
· Require individual behavior change by law or administrative rule -- for example, by laws reguir ing seatbelt use or requiring the installation of smoke detectors in 811 new buildings. · Provide automatic protection by product and environmental design~for example, by the installation of seatbelts that automatically encompass occupants of motor vehicles or built-in sprinkler systems that automatically extinguiab f ires .
|
From page 38... ...
Failure to use available information is found not only in the persons who may be injured ~ teenagers who know that seatbelts will reduce the likelihood of death or injury, but fail to use them, or parents who know that children can be burned by stoves, but fail to keep their children away from stoves -- but in decision makers who can influence the probability of injury to others, including manufacturers who must consider that their products will be used by less-than-perfect people. One problem with relying on educational approaches is the counterinfluence of the mass media in implicitly encouraging violent or hazardous behavior; children burned while imitating televised activities are a tragic example.
|
From page 39... ...
Individual behavior change to prevent injuries has been more successful when the behavior was easily observable and required by law. For example, in the absence of laws requiring the use of protective helmets, only about SO percent of motorcyclists voluntarily wear them, but helmet-use laws result in almost 100 percent use.2~2 Laws mandating individual behavior are clearly more effective than education and protect more members of society.
|
From page 40... ...
s ~ Furthermore, in careful assessments of risk compensation based on direct observations of behavior -- as opposed to the mainly theoretical arguments of the proponents of these hypotheses no evidence of increased risk-taking has been found. ~ Product and Environmental Den ign The most successful injury-prevention approaches have involved improved product designs and changes In the man-made environment that will protect e~rervone.
|
From page 41... ...
Limiting the amount of substance in each container sold to a subtonic dose does not require any effort by the parent or child and is the method most likely to prevent fatal poisoning; childproof closures on containers of toxic materials have greatly reduced fatal poisonings, but occasionally the closures are left off and children gain access to the contents; admonitions to lock cabinets after each use of a toxic substance are the least effective.~° Furthermore, even in homes where poisoning has already occurred, measures to prevent a recurrence remain rare.209 Some product and environmental changes achieve impor ten t changes in behavior . For example, exper imental equipping of fleets of vehicles with high-mounted brake lights substantially reduced the incidence of rear-end crashes.
|
From page 42... ...
However, it has not been determined whether that is true for specific types of vehicles or whether designs could be developed to allow power for legitimate needs, but not for substantially exceeding legal speed limits. I f r isk is measured in terms of deaths per person-mile of travel, light aircraft rival motorcycles.
|
From page 43... ...
For example, the effectiveness and use of protective sports equipment and of environmental modifications -- such as energy-absorbing playground surfaces and gymnasium walls -- are largely unknown. Research showed the risk of spinal cord injury associated with trampolines to be so great that many schools stopped trampoline activities; as a result, spinal cord injury rates decreased.
|
From page 44... ...
In addition to research on laws, research on the effectiveness of other measures to reduce firearm homicide is needed. Asssultive injuries involving other weapons or personal force are virtually unresearched.
|
From page 45... ...
The validity of the widespread assumption that nonfatal suicide attempts represent a lack of desire to kill oneself, and therefore involve the choice of less lethal means, should be subjected to scientific scrutiny; there is evidence that reducing the availability of popular means of committing suicide can cause a major reduction in the suicide rate.~° Research on reducing the lethality of colon means of committing suicide should be encouraged; for example, changes in the formulation, number of pills per bottle, and prescribing practices related to antidepressants should be implemented on a trial basis and evaluated. Relationship of Alcoholic Beverages to Injury Alcoholic beverages are involved in a large proportion of all types of in jur ies, including workplace and intentional injuries.
|
From page 46... ...
At pres,-~t, very little evaluation of injury control efforts is Undertaken by the responsible agencies, and even less by organizations independent of the agencies charged with injury control. Schools of public health and medical schools are a potential source for independent evaluations, but they generally do not have courses aimed at training in injury epidemiology, prevention-program development, or evaluation of injury-control measurers The few knowledgeable teachers and researchers in th,..se settings are expected to raise all or most of their salaries and research funds from sources outside the universities.
|
From page 47... ...
4. Research is needed to understand the barriers to implementing existing effective injury control measures that are not widely applied.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.