Citation

Langley JD, Johnston SE. Community Health Stud. 1990; 14(2): 190-199.

Affiliation

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, University of Adelaide, Department of Community Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2208983

Abstract

Purposely self-inflicted injury is the second most common cause of injury death in New Zealand and is also a major cause of hospitalisation. Despite the significance of the problem there has been relatively little research undertaken in New Zealand. Injury mortality and morbidity data files for 1984 were examined and upgraded to provide as comprehensive an overview of this injury problem as the data would permit. The results show that the fatality rate was highest amongst the elderly, and males had higher death rates than females for all ages. In contrast to this, hospitalisation rates peaked among the 15-20 year olds and females had higher rates than males for all ages. Whereas Maori had a significantly lower fatality rate than non-Maori the converse was the case for hospitalisation. A more consistent effect occurred for marital status, the married group had significantly lower fatality and hospitalisation rates than the non-married group. The major occupational group "production, transport and labourers" had the highest mortality rate, whereas service workers, in particular house staff, had the highest rate of morbidity. Whereas hanging was the most common method (33%) used in fatal injury events, poisoning was the most common method (91%) used for those events which resulted in hospitalisation. In the latter case, psychotropic agents, in particular tranquillisers, accounted for 50 per cent of all poisoning. These data show that mortality experience is not a reliable guide to injury morbidity experience. Prevention is discussed in the context of limiting the availability and lethality of agents.

Language: en