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Citation
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Yon Y, Hernández-García L, Di Giacomo G, Rakovac I, Passmore J, Mikkelsen B. Lancet Public Health 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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Violence and injury kill nearly half a million people in the WHO European region every year. That figure is equivalent to one death per min and represents more than 5% of all deaths in the region. Over 60% of deaths are due to self-harm (140 000), falls (83 000), and road traffic injuries (80 000).
Deaths, however, are just the tip of the iceberg and for every person who is killed, thousands more are injured. The direct health-care cost of violence and injury was estimated at €80 million annually, in the European Union.2 However, the actual cost could be higher when considering the cost for treatment outside of hospital, including costs for rehabilitation.
Moreover, a disproportionate share of the burden of violence and injury fall on the most vulnerable groups: adults aged 60 years and older, children aged 5-14 years, and economically deprived individuals. In 2016, older adults had the highest death rates from violence and injury of any group and almost half of those aged 15-29 years died from violence and injury.
Beyond these preventable deaths, many of those who are injured might endure long rehabilitation and many others might be permanently disabled. Moreover, families might be pushed to poverty because of the loss in earning capacity as well as the diminished income from the provision of informal and formal care for those who are injured, which in turn, expedite the cycle of poverty...
Language: en |