Injuries

Injury Control is the science of reducing the number and severity of injuries and their sequelae. Successful injury control depends upon knowledge of the epidemiology of injuries and the application of that knowledge to public policy. This chapter discusses and provides examples of the non-use, the effective use, and the potential use of epidemiology in formulating health policy related to injury control. It considers the ways in which injuries differ from other health problems. There are no basic scientific distinctions between injuries and diseases, but the two differ greatly in the attitudes held toward them generally and the degree to which policies and decisions are based on scientific evidence. Three major injury producing hazards come under the federal jurisdiction of the Department of Treasury: Firearms, cigarettes, and alcohol. The importance of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms as revenue producing agents often seems to outweigh their importance as injury producing agents.