Prevention of injury and violence in the USA

Lancet. 2014 Jul 5;384(9937):64-74. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60074-X. Epub 2014 Jul 1.

Abstract

In the first three decades of life, more individuals in the USA die from injuries and violence than from any other cause. Millions more people survive and are left with physical, emotional, and financial problems. Injuries and violence are not accidents; they are preventable. Prevention has a strong scientific foundation, yet efforts are not fully implemented or integrated into clinical and community settings. In this Series paper, we review the burden of injuries and violence in the USA, note effective interventions, and discuss methods to bring interventions into practice. Alliances between the public health community and medical care organisations, health-care providers, states, and communities can reduce injuries and violence. We encourage partnerships between medical and public health communities to consistently frame injuries and violence as preventable, identify evidence-based interventions, provide scientific information to decision makers, and strengthen the capacity of an integrated health system to prevent injuries and violence.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls / prevention & control
  • Accidental Falls / statistics & numerical data
  • Brain Injuries / epidemiology
  • Brain Injuries / prevention & control
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Government Programs
  • Humans
  • Primary Prevention* / methods
  • Primary Prevention* / organization & administration
  • Primary Prevention* / trends
  • Public Health*
  • Residence Characteristics
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Violence / prevention & control*
  • Violence / statistics & numerical data*
  • Wounds and Injuries / epidemiology*
  • Wounds and Injuries / mortality
  • Wounds and Injuries / prevention & control*