Unintentional Injuries & Violence
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 72 percent of the deaths among youth aged 10 to 24 years are caused by unintentional injuries or violence – which is more than the deaths for all diseases combined!
Data show that the leading cause of injuries for this age group is motor-vehicle crashes (26 percent). Homicide and suicide account for about 29 percent of deaths.
The 2011, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that there are certain behaviors that are the main contributors to these injuries and deaths among high school students.
- Behaviors Contributing to Unintentional Injury
- Behaviors Contributing to Violence
- Injuries & Behaviors That Contribute To Injury
Behaviors Contributing to Unintentional Injury
- 7.7 percent of students had rarely or never worn seat belts while someone else was driving
- 87.5 percent of students who rode bicycles rarely or never wore a helmet
- 24.1 percent of students had ridden one or more times with a driver who had been drinking alcohol during the 30 days preceding the survey
- 8.2 percent of students had driven a car or other vehicle after drinking alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey
- 32.8 percent of students had texted or emailed while driving at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey
- 38.7 percent of students had drunk alcohol during the 30 days preceding the survey
- 23.1 percent of students had used marijuana during the 30 days preceding the survey
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Behaviors Contributing to Violence
- 16.6 percent of students had carried a weapon during the 30 days preceding the survey
- 32.6 percent of students had been in a physical fight during the 12 months preceding the survey
- 20 percent of students had been bullied on school property in the past 12 months
- 9.4 percent of students had been hit, slapped, or hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend during the 12 months preceding the survey
- 8 percent of students had been forced to have sexual intercourse when they didn't want to during the 12 months preceding the survey
- 5.9 percent of students had missed one or more days of school during the 30 days preceding the survey because they didn't feel safe either at school or on the way to or from school
- 7.8 percent of students had attempted suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey
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Injuries & Behaviors That Contribute To Injury
Learn more about teen injuries and behaviors that may contribute to injuries via our following articles:
- Bike Safety
- Car Safety
- Dangers of Snow Sports: Injuries While Skiing or Snowboarding
- Prevention of Exercise & Sports-Related Injuries
- Summer Sports Activities
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Written By:Katharine Booher,
public health education intern
Reviewed By: Nancy Brown, Ph.D.
Last Reviewed: October 2013
Below are links PAMF accessed when researching this topic. PAMF does not sponsor or endorse any of these sites, nor does PAMF guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on them.
Adolescent and School Health. YRBSS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Youth Online Comprehensive Results, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sports-Related Injuries Among High School Athletes in the United States, Healthline.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.