Abstract:
Unintentional injuries in the home account for a significant burden of injury among all age groups in New Zealand. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related admissions to hospital and one of the three leading causes of injury death in New Zealand. Cutting or piercing injuries are the second leading cause of injury hospitalisation in New Zealand. Home is the most common location for injuries resulting in hospitalisation. The impact of injuries at home among young and middle-age adults may have significant implications for both work productivity and family life. This project was designed to explore modifiable risk factors for unintentional falls and cutting or piecing injuries at home resulting in admission to hospital among young and middle-aged adults (aged 20 to 64 years). The study builds on the Auckland Fall Study previously conducted by the researchers and funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). The project involved the following methodologies: a review of the published literature to identify risk factors for unintentional cutting or piercing injury or falls at home among young and middle-aged adults; an analysis of routinely collected national data on hospitalisations and deaths for home injuries; an analysis of trauma registry data for home injuries; and a multi-regional population-based case-control study, with a case-crossover component, to identify modifiable risk factors for unintentional falls and cutting or piercing injures at home among the age group of interest .
