Indicator: 8 - Unintentional Injuries
Why This Is Important
Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Maine
residents below the age of 35. They are caused by motor vehicle
accidents, fire/burns, falls, drowning, poisoning, and firearms.
Maine's youngest people are not safe when they suffer the consequences
of preventable unintentional injuries. Injuries account for about
30% of the loss of productive life for people under 65 years old.
This exceeds the losses of productive life from heart disease, cancer
and stroke combined.
Where We Stand
The unintentional injury death rate (five-year floating average)
for Maine children and youth aged 0-19 for 1994 to 1998 was 14.4/100,000.
This is a slight decrease over time, and may be attributed to a
decline in fire deaths and motor vehicle deaths.
Data Sources and Context
This data is compiled and reported by the Office of Data, Research
and Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health, Maine Department of Human
Services. The source of the data is the Maine mortality data files.
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