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Ministry of Health

Facts: Injury Prevention

What is Injury?

Injury is defined as any unintentional or intentional physical damage to the body. Damage can result from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen. 1 Injuries can be a small cut, a burn, a fracture, or even death.

Common unintentional injuries include motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), falls, and unintentional poisoning.

Intentional injuries are purposeful and can be self-inflicted or inflicted by another. 2 Examples of intentional injuries include suicide, violence, or abuse.

Each day, approximately 1,200 people in British Columbia are unintentionally injured and of these, five die and 26 are permanently disabled as a result of preventable injuries. 5

The top three causes of death for adults due to unintentional injury are: falls (27%), poisoning (25%), and motor vehicle collisions (24%) 6

Males experience more frequent and severe unintentional injuries than females. 7

More information:

Economic Impact

In 2004, injuries cost British Columbians $2.8 billion in direct and indirect health care costs. 17 This translates into each British Columbian paying $670 each and every year for injury-related costs. 17

Direct health care costs including treatment, care, and rehabilitation were $1.6 billion and indirect costs due to lost productivity associated with injury were $1.2 billion.

Unintentional injuries accounted for 82% of all injury costs in 2004. 17

  • Falls cost $886 million;
  • Transport incidents cost $575 million.

Injuries are responsible for 12% of the total burden of disease in British Columbia and 9% of the economic burden of illness. 5

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Children and Youth

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Canadian children and youth from one to 19 years of age. 18

The leading causes of injury-related death and hospitalization change as children move through patterns of development.

Overall, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death in children and youth followed by drowning and suffocation. 18

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization in children and youth followed by motor vehicle crashes. 18

Deaths from motor vehicle crashes are nearly four times higher for Status Indian children compared to other British Columbia children and homicide deaths are nearly seven times higher. 14

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Aboriginal Peoples

Despite a significant decline in deaths from 1993 to 2006 from external causes such as motor vehicle crashes, deaths due to injury remain higher for Status Indians relative to other British Columbia residents. 14

Motor vehicle collisions, suicide, accidental poisoning, and homicide are the leading external causes of death among Status Indian people in BC. 14

Deaths from motor vehicle crashes across all ages are approximately 2.5 times higher for BC Status Indians than other BC residents. 14

Deaths due to unintentional poisoning for BC Status Indians are two to three times higher than other BC residents. 14

Alcohol-related deaths for BC Status Indians are approximately five times higher than other BC residents. 14

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Sports and Recreation

Sports and recreational injuries are associated with 17% of all injury-related hospitalizations and 19% of emergency room visits. 15

Sources for injury facts

  1. National Committee on Injury Prevention and Control. (1989). Injury prevention: meeting the challenge. American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 5(3 Suppl), 123–7, page 4.
  2. Adapted from Cleveland Department of Public Health. (Web link).
  3. British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency. (2005). Selected Vital Statistics and Health Status Indicators 2005. (Web link)
  4. Cushman, R. (1995). Injury prevention: The time has come. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 152(1): 21-23. (Web link)
  5. Cloutier, E. & Albert, T. (2001). Economic Burden of Unintentional Injury in British Columbia. Vancouver: Prepared by SmartRisk on behalf of British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit. (PDF)
  6. BC Ministry of Health. (2007). Evidence Review: Unintentional Injury Prevention. Victoria: Prepared by BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit. (PDF)
  7. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Gender and Health: The facts. (PDF)
  8. National Committee on Injury Prevention and Control. (1989). Injury prevention: meeting the challenge. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 5(3 Suppl), 123–7.
  9. Rajabali, F., Han, G., Artes, S., Smith, D., Brussoni, M., Joshi, P. (2005). Unintentional Injuries in BC: Trends and Patterns Among Children & Youth.  (PDF)
  10. People 33, BC Stats, Service BC, Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services, 2008, and National Trauma Registry (2006). 2005 Injury Hospitalizations Highlights Report, January 25th, 2006 (p. 3). Canadian Institute for Health Information. Retrieved June 23, 2009 from http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/products/NTR_MDS_Highlights_e.pdf
  11. Extrapolated from People 33, BC Stats, Service BC, Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services, 2008 and Herman, M., Gallagher, E. & Scott, V. (2006). The Evolution of Seniors' Falls Prevention in British Columbia.  Victoria: B.C. Ministry of Health. (PDF)
  12. Office of the Provincial Health Officer.  (2004).  Prevention of Falls and Injuries Among the Elderly.  Victoria: B.C. Ministry of Health Planning. (PDF)
  13. Office of the Provincial Health Officer. (2001). The Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in British Columbia. Victoria: B.C. Ministry of Health Planning. (PDF)
  14. Office of the Provincial Health Officer. (2009). Pathways to Health and Healing - 2nd Report on the Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in British Columbia. Provincial Health Officer’s Annual Report 2007. Victoria: BC: Ministry of Health. (PDF).  Additional charts and data located at: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/pho/reports/annual.html.
  15. Scanlan, A. & MacKay, M. (2001). Sports and Recreation Injury Prevention Strategies: Systematic Review and Best Practices. BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, Plan-it Safe, and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. (PDF)
  16. Division of Aging and Seniors (2005). Report on seniors’ falls in Canada. Ontario. Public Health Agency of Canada. (PDF)
  17. SMARTRISK. (2009). The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada. SMARTRISK: Toronto, ON. (PDF)
  18. Public Health Agency of Canada. Child and Youth Injury in Review, 2009 Edition – Spotlight on Consumer Product Safety. Ottawa, 2009. (PDF)
  19. Ministry of Health, Corporate Support, Planning & Legislation, Surveillance and Informatics (2009).
  20. Canadian Institute for Health Information, Fall Related Hospitalizations in Seniors, Canada and BC, 2007-08 (Ottawa, Ont.: CIHI, 2009).