Injury mortality and morbidity in New Zealand

An overview of the injury problem in New Zealand is presented. National mortality and morbidity data demonstrate that relative to other diseases injuries represent a significant community health problem. Injuries are the fourth leading cause of death and account for 32% of Potential Years of Life Lost between the ages of 1 and 70. Injuries are the second leading cause of hospital admission and account for nearly 12% of all admissions. Injury rates vary dramatically by age, sex, socioeconomic status, and race. In general, males, particularly those 20-24 years old, have higher death and hospitalisation rates than females. A notably exception is elderly females, who have a hospitalisation rate nearly twice as high as elderly males. Maori and those from low socioeconomic levels have the highest injury rates. The leading causes of injury death are motor vehicle crashes (37%) and self-inflicted injury (21%). This contrasts to some extent with the two leading causes of hospitalisation, namely falls (25%) and motor vehicle crashes (19%). The road, home, and places of recreation and sport are the most common places of occurrence of serious injury. Head injuries, in particular concussions, and fractures of the lower limbs, particularly the femur, account for 35% of all injury morbidity. Treatment and rehabilitation costs for injuries that resulted in hospitalisations, visits to accident and emergency centres, and a claim on the Accident Compensation Corporation cost an average of $133 (1983) per head of population.