Research Alert: July 25, 2022

Increased Rates of Death from Unintentional Injury Among non-Hispanic White, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Nonmetropolitan Communities

Unintentional injury is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., with an age-adjusted death rate of 48.0 per 100,000 in 2018. The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey public use datafile for 2018 was used to generate estimates of nonfatal unintentional injury rates.

• Visits to the emergency department (ED) for unintentional injuries in 2018 were similar in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
• The rate of deaths from unintentional injuries in 2018 was higher in nonmetropolitan areas, compared to metropolitan areas, for all racial/ethnic groups except non-Hispanic Black.
• Living in a nonmetropolitan area was associated with the largest increase in deaths for those who are American Indian or Alaska Native.
• Residents of nonmetropolitan areas are more likely than those living in metropolitan areas to suffer a fatal unintentional injury, though there was no difference in the rates of nonfatal unintentional injury ED visits.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Community Paramedicine, EMS and Trauma, Healthcare Access, Rural Health Disparities