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Index: Health / Subcategory: Physical Health

Unintentional Injury Mortality

Date Updated: 10/12/2011

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The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment lists three types of death due to injury in Colorado: unintentional, intentional (suicide, homicide, or legal intervention) and undetermined intent. Unintentional injuries constituted the majority (65%) of these deaths in Colorado in 2010.

Mortality refers to the number or rate of deaths that occur in a population. Age-adjusted rates (for comparison of differing populations) and crude rates (number of deaths by population) were used wherever appropriate. The period 2001-2010 was analyzed to compare data on a consistent scale.

What this chart shows: Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000 Residents) in Colorado & Larimer County, 2001-2010

*Age-Adjusted rate

Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 Over the last decade, neither the state nor the county met the Healthy People 2010 objective of 17.5 (or fewer) accidental (unintentional injury) deaths per 100,000 in the population. Between 2001 and 2010, Colorado averaged approximately 43 deaths per 100,000, compared to 35 deaths for Larimer County. The years in which Larimer County experienced noticeable changes in mortality rates included increases between 2001 and 2004, and decreases in 2005 and 2009. See Additional Information for an explanation of the Healthy People 2010 program.

In 2004, the unintentional injury mortality rate peaked in Larimer County at 38.1 deaths per 100,000 residents. This appears to be the primary result of motor vehicle and other (non-transport) deaths as well as deaths caused by falls (29, 19 and 16 deaths, respectively).

What this chart shows: Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000 Residents) by Injury Type in Colorado & Larimer County, 2010

*Crude Rate

Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 Unintentional injuries resulting in death are categorized as transport or non-transport injuries. In 2010, Larimer County transport injuries resulting in death included: motor vehicle injuries (21), water/air/space transport injuries (<3), and other land transportation injuries (<3). Non-transport injuries that resulted in death included: poisoning (39), falls (25), other and unspecified non-transport injuries (11), smoke/fire/flames injury (3), drowning and submersion (<3), and firearms (<3).

Of these various types of injury-related deaths, six (motor vehicle accidents, falls, poisonings, drownings, residential fire, and firearm-related) have specific Healthy People 2010 objectives which can be compared with available data for Larimer County. Of those six, only three (motor vehicles, falls, and poisonings) have calculated mortality rates for the each of the last ten years. The remaining three categories (drownings, smoke, fire and flames, and firearms) had several years in which deaths were fewer than three so no mortality rates were calculated to protect the confidentiality of the deceased.

See the table titled Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates (per 100,000) by Injury Type with Specific Target Objectives for more detail.

What this chart shows: Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000 Residents) by Age Group in Larimer County, 2001 - 2010 (10-Year Total)

*Crude Rate

Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Colorado Health Information Dataset

See data table

What the above data tell us:

In Larimer County, the likelihood of death by unintentional injury increases as one reaches 65 years of age and greatly increases after age 85. Falls are the main cause of injury for people over 75 in Larimer County, and in 2010 caused 18 out of 30 deaths (60%) for those over 75. The overwhelming majority of deaths caused by falls (72%) were for those over the age of 75.

National data (2007) shows that unintentional injury was the number one cause of death in people aged 1 to 44. In Larimer County, 51% of deaths in 2010 for this age group were due to unintentional injury.

Additional Information:

Healthy People 2010 is a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative establishing national objectives to improve the health of all Americans, to eliminate disparities, and to increase the years and quality of life. New guidelines and objectives have been established for the next ten years, through 2020.

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Definitions (Summarized below)

(From Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)

Unintentional 'Transportation' Injuries

Unintentional 'Non-Transportation' Injuries

  • Includes events that involve: drowning (boat, recreational, bathtub), poisoning (due to excessive alcohol and drugs, carbon monoxide); falls; fire/ burn; natural/environmental: (injuries from excessive environmental exposure and animals bites); 'Other Unintentional Injuries': aspiration/suffocation, foreign bodies entering the body, falling objects, striking against or by objects or people, being caught in or between objects, machinery, cutting or piercing instruments, firearms/airguns, electric current, overexertion, and other unspecified mechanisms.

Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths by Injury Type - Larimer County

Motor Vehicles

Other Land Transport

Water, Air, & Space

Drowning & Submersion

Falls

Firearms

Poisoning

Smoke & Fire

Other and Unspecified Non- transport

2001

 37 <3 <3 <3 8 <3 7 <3 13

2002

 38 <3 4 4 15 <3 16 <3 12

2003

 51 <3 <3 <3 16 <3 14 <3 11

2004

 29 <3 7 6 16 <3 15 <3 19

2005

 32 <3 6 <3 24 <3 12 3 16

2006

 32 <3 5 <3 19 <3 25 <3 17

2007

 31 <3 <3 3 21 <3 31 <3 13

2008

 22 <3 <3 <3 23 <3 33 <3 19

2009

 28 <3 <3 <3 26 <3 30 <3 10

2010

 21 <3 <3 <3 25 <3 39 3 11

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Unintentional Injury Mortality Rates* (per 100,000) by Injury Type with Specific Target Objectives - Larimer County

 

Motor Vehicles

Falls

Poisoning

Drowning

Smoke, Fire, Flames

Firearms

2001

 13.9 4.0 2.9

n/a

n/a

n/a

2002

 14.1 6.9 6.7

1.6

n/a

n/a

2003

 17.7 7.0 5.2

n/a

n/a

n/a

2004

 11.1 7.5 5.4

2.1

n/a

n/a

2005

 10.6 10.3 4.3

n/a

1.1

n/a

2006

 10.9 7.5 8.8

n/a

n/a

n/a

2007

 10.9 7.9 10.2

1.0

n/a

n/a

2008

 7.7 8.3 10.8

n/a

n/a

n/a

2009

 9.4 9.1 9.3

n/a

n/a

n/a

2010

 6.9 8.5 12.8

n/a

1.1

n/a

Target

 9.2 3.0 1.5

0.9

0.2

4.1

* Age-Adjusted Rate

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Related Information on COMPASS -

Other Resources -

Industry Standards or Targets:

Healthy People 2010

A complete list of injury prevention objectives is available on the Healthy People 2010 website. Target rates are age-adjusted.

Data Tables:

Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000 Residents)

 

Colorado

Larimer County

Total Deaths

Rate

Total Deaths

Rate

2001

 1,702 41.1 69 28.6

2002

 1,803 42.8 89 36.4

2003

 1,783 41.8 97 36.7

2004

 1,791 41.6 96 38.1

2005

 1,928 43.6 96 35.6

2006

 1,888 42.1 99 36.4

2007

 2,029 44.6 101 35.5

2008

 2,159 46.4 103 35.9

2009

 2,141 44.6 98 32.9

2010

 2,102 43.4 101 33.5

* Age-Adjusted Rate

See chart

Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000) & Total Number of Deaths, 2010

Colorado

Larimer

Number

Rate

Number

Rate

Transport injuries

  • Motor vehicle injuries
480 9.5 21 7.0
  • Other land transport injuries
27 0.5 <3 N/A
  • Water & air and space & other transport injuries
24 0.5 <3 N/A

Non-transport injuries

  • Drowning and submersion
57 1.1 <3 N/A
  • Falls
649 12.9 25 8.3
  • Firearms
7 0.1 <3 N/A
  • Poisoning
553 11.0 39 13.0
  • Smoke & fire and flames
26 0.5 3 1.0
  • Other & unspecified Non-transport injuries
279 5.5 11 3.7

*Age-Adjusted Rate

See chart

Unintentional Injury Mortality Rate* (per 100,000)
by Age Group - Larimer County 2001-2010 (10-Year Total)

 

Rate

Deaths

<1

 26.5 9

1-4

 8.2 11

5-14

 4.3 15

15-24

 24.4 122

25-34

 28.8 120

35-44

 33.2 124

45-54

 34.7 145

55-64

 30.0 85

65-74

 44.5 72

75-84

 108.6 103

85+

 371.3 143

* Crude Rate

See chart