Home Injury a Major Cause of Deaths

A study has found that more than 20 million visits to US emergency rooms, doctors' offices, and clinics occur each year because of mishaps in the home. These accidents killed about 20,000 and disabled at least seven million in 1998.

The study was commissioned by the US Home Safety Council and was conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, USA). The researchers gathered information from death certificates, emergency and clinic records, prior studies, and a phone survey. The leading causes of death were found to be falls, followed by poisonings, fires, inhalations, suffocation, and drowning. Women were slightly more likely to seek emergency care, but men were 70% more likely to die.

The researchers found that almost all families now have smoke alarms in their homes. Problem areas include inadequate railings and banisters and unsafe storage of medications and poisons. Few people knew if their hot water heaters were set too high and fewer than half of the households with firearms keep them properly locked up.

"These are dramatic numbers, and further research needs to be conducted to explain them, but in the meantime, it is clear that no matter where you live, it's important to recognize the potential safety hazards in your home and correct them,” said Dr. Carol W. Runyan, study leader and professor of health behavior and health education at the UNC School of Public Health.




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