Unintentional injury deaths among youth in Ontario, Canada from 2000 to 2015: Rates are falling but there are caveats.

Kitchen, Peter; Kaida, Lisa; Akhtar‐Danesh, Noori; Williams, Allison

Youth may be susceptible to certain types of unintentional injuries that place them at risk of death. The objective of this research was to study trends in these deaths among youth (age 15 to 24) in the Canadian province of Ontario between 2000 and 2015. It is the first study to directly assess intra‐provincial trends. Our analysis of Statistics Canada's Vital Statistics – Death Database from 2000 to 2015 finds unintentional injury death rates among youth fell during this period and particularly in Ontario, where rates were significantly lower than other regions. The motor vehicle traffic death rate fell further in that province than it did nationally. The largest urban areas in the province had the lowest death rates, while several Census Divisions in the "near" north (including parts of "cottage country") and "far" north had the highest. The unintentional injury death rate as a result of drugs and alcohol (particularly related to opioids) increased during this period, particularly in "North/Remote" areas of Ontario. To deal with the rise in drug‐ and alcohol‐related death rates, further consideration can be given to the unmeasured factors that may contribute to the use of dangerous drugs among youth. Key Messages: The total unintentional injury death rate among youth in Ontario fell noticeably from 2000 to 2015. In particular, motor vehicle traffic death rates dropped substantially.However, unintentional drug and alcohol injury death rates rose, especially in the "North/Remote'" region of Ontario.Policies that promote safety should further be directed at youth generally and in certain regions more specifically.

ONTARIO; TRAFFIC fatalities; DEATH rate; VITAL statistics; CANADIAN provinces; WOUNDS & injuries

Canadian Geographer, 2021, Vol 65, Issue 3, p255

0008-3658

Academic Journal

10.1111/cag.12672