Injury Prevention
Injuries are a leading cause of death in Iowa. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for Iowans ages 1-44 and it is the 4th leading cause of death for all Iowans. IDPH strives to address the burden of injury on the public health by disseminating information about injury deaths and hospitalizations and promoting programs directed at preventing both intentional and unintentional injuries.
National Injury Prevention Day – November 18, 2021
IDPH is joining with other states and national partners to recognize National Injury Prevention Day on November 18, 2021. We encourage everyone to “shine a green light” on injury prevention.
The leading causes of unintentional injury deaths in Iowa are falls, motor-vehicle traffic and unintentional poisoning. The cost of injury is high – the average annual charge per injury hospitalization is $43,200 and the average annual charge per emergency room visit is $2,600. By working together to prevent injuries, we can reduce early death and disability for those affected.
Highlighting 2021 Awareness Day on From the Front Row Podcast
Maggie Ferguson (IDPH), Lisa Roth (UI-IPRC), and Clare Willey (UI MPH student) were featured on an episode of "From the Front Row" podcast on November 18, 2021, in recognition of National Injury Prevention Awareness Day. You can listen to the episode title Injury and violence Prevention: :Looking at Current Trends, Initiatives, and the Effects of COVID-19 below.
2021 Resources for Promoting Injury Prevention Awareness Day
Please use the resources posted and linked below to help spread the word in your communities about injury prevention. We can all do our part!
Injury Prevention Day Proclamation
Background for Virtual Meetings
The Injury Free Coalition developed a zoom background that can be used for virtual meeting platforms. Go to this link to download the image to your computer.
Factsheets
IDPH developed factsheets and gathered resources related to the top three causes of injury deaths in Iowa. Please use these for your efforts to support National Injury Prevention Day on November 18 and throughout the year.
Social Media
The Iowa Department of Public Health will post information on social media in November. Follow us on Facebook (@IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth), Twitter (@IAPublicHealth) or Instagram (@iadeptofpublichealth) and help promote the messages by sharing with your followers.
Use #BeInjuryFree with your messages!
Social Media Text Descriptions for accessibility purposes 
These are messages you can download and share on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
- National Injury Prevention Day
- Unintentional injuries in Iowa
- Did you know? Falls
- Did you know? Motor vehicle crashes
- Did you know? Poisoning
The Injury Free Coalition for Kids will host a National Injury Prevention Day Twitter Chat on November 18, 2021 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm Central Time. For more information on participating, go to this link.
Resources for Prevention
General Injury Content
Falls
Motor Vehicle Crashes
Poisoning
The Impact of Injury in Iowa
In 2008, IDPH and the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center partnered to produce the first comprehensive report on injury in Iowa. This report, The Burden of Injury in Iowa (2002-2006), is intended to provide information on the burden of injury in Iowa to assist communities, health practitioners, and state and local policymakers in developing strategies and policies to reduce injuries in the state. A full report and executive summary are available by clicking on the links below. For data specific to an individual county, follow the link to the IPRC webpage.
Injury Prevention Standards
During 2006-2007, standards for injury prevention activities within public health were developed for state and local partners. The comprehensive report is also intended to assist county public health partners in their efforts to assess and meet these standards.
IDPH Injury Prevention Programs
The IDPH programs listed below address the prevention of injuries. For more information, please go to the related links.
Office of Disability and Violence Prevention
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
Bureau of Family Health
Division of Environmental Health
Other Related Links:
University of Iowa
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention