All injury deaths, Australia 1997

Key indicators of all injury related deaths, Australia 1997

Overview

Of the 129,350 deaths from all causes registered in 1997, 7,737 (6%) were the result of an external cause of injury or poisoning, comprising 5,393 males and 2,344 females. There was an increase of less than 1% in the age-standardised death rate from all external causes of injury and poisoning, from 40.5 deaths per 100,000 in 1996 to 40.7 in 1997. The age-standardised rate rose for females by almost 9% while the rate for males fell by almost 3% over 1996. Overall, in the ten years from 1988 to 1997 the age-standardised death rate due to all external causes of injury and poisoning fell by 21% from 52 external caused deaths per 100,000 population in 1988 to 41 per 100,000 in 1997.

Injury and poisoning is the leading cause of death for persons aged 1-44 years. It accounted for 47% (n=4,218) of all deaths in this age group (n=8,997) in 1997. Of the 4,218 injury and poisoning deaths occurring amongst people aged 1-44 years, 77% (n=3,252) were young males.

Injury and poisoning was the sixth leading cause of death in 1997 behind malignant neoplasms, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and pneumonia and influenza. The impact of injury at young ages is reflected in the average of 31 years of potential life lost (YPLL) before age 75 years due to each injury or poisoning death compared with 9 YPLL for cancer and 5 YPLL for ischaemic heart disease.