Injury Prevention in Indian Country

Bridget CanniffProject Director

Tribal Epidemiology Center ConsortiumNorthwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

What are Unintentional Injuries?

• Efforts to prevent or reduce the severity of bodily injuries before they occur

• Programs that advance the health of the population by preventing injuries and improving quality of life

What is Injury Prevention?

• Damage or harm caused to the body by an outside agent or force

• Does not include injuries related to violence (assault, abuse, homicide, suicide)

Key Unintentional Injury Topics

• Motor Vehicle Safety: Seat Belts

• Motor Vehicle Safety: Child Safety Seats

• Elder Safety & Falls Prevention

• Bike Safety & Helmet Use

• Home Safety & Fire Prevention

Motor Vehicle Safety:

Seat Belts

Motor Vehicle Safety

■ On average, 2 AI/ANs are killed every day in crashes in the US 1

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2005) [cited Feb 18 2009].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

Motor Vehicle Safety

• Make sure vehicles are safe and in working order

• Use car seats for children• Ensure drivers and passengers wear seat

belts• Enforce speed limits and discourage

aggressive driving• Enforce laws against impaired driving

The traffic death rate for AI/ANs in Washington is ____ times higher than for non-Natives.2

1.7 2.5 3.3 4.2

25% 25%25%25%

1. 1.7 2. 2.53. 3.34. 4.2

2 Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Tribal Traffic Safety [online]. (2010) [cited Feb 22 2010].  Available from URL: http://www.wtsc.wa.gov/programs/tribal.php

Five Ways Seat Belts Prevent Injury

1. Keep people in the vehicle2. Contact the strongest parts of the body3. Spread forces over a wide area of the

body4. Help the body to slow down5. Protect the brain and spinal cord

“We Don’t Buckle Up!”

“We don’t get tickets out here on the Rez”

“I am only going down the street”

“I just don’t think about it”

“I let the kids get out of their belts once we are on our Rez roads”

How often do YOU wear your seatbelt?

1 2 3 4 5

20% 20% 20%20%20%

1. Always2. Usually3. Sometimes4. Occasionally5. Never

The Message for Native Communities: Buckle Up for Every Ride

■ Wearing a seat belt is the easiest way to prevent injury or death

■ It only takes a few seconds to buckle up - you never know when you may be in a crash

■ Buckle up for every ride in the car, even short trips

Motor Vehicle Safety Resources

Washington Traffic Safety Commission http://www.wtsc.wa.gov/programs/tribal.php

Washington Safety Restraint Coalition www.800bucklup.org/

Motor Vehicle Safety:

Child Safety Seats

Why use Child Safety Seats?

Motor vehicle crashes are the LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH for AI/AN children between ages 1-9 (as well as AI/ANs 1-44).

… making up one-third of all child deaths 3

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2005) [cited Feb 17 2009].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

Five Ways Child Safety Seats Prevent Injury

1. Keep children in the vehicle

2. Contact the strongest parts of the body

3. Spread forces over a wide area of the body

4. Help the body to slow down

5. Protect the brain, spinal cord and abdomen

4 Steps for Kids

1. Rear-facing

2. Forward-facing

3. Booster seats

4. Adult seat belts

How tall should a child be in order to use an adult seat belt?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1. 4’2. 4’6”3. 4’9”4. 5’

Minimum recommendations

• Rear-facing seats: Until age 1 AND at least 20 lbs

• Forward-facing seats: Until upper limit for specific seat, usually age 4 AND 40 lbs

• Booster seats: Until age 8 OR 4’9” tall

• Adult seat belts in back seat: Until age 13

Step 1: Rear-facing Infant Seats

■ Keep infants rear-facing until a minimum of age 1 and at least 20 pounds.

Step 1 & 2: Rear-Facing / Forward-Facing Convertibles■ Rear and forward facing

■ Reclined for rear-facing and upright for forward-facing

■ Can be used for larger infants less than one year old and 20-35 pounds

Step 2: Forward-Facing Child Restraints

■ Convertible and Forward-facing only

■ Child must be: One year old AND 20+ pounds

Step 3: Booster Seats■ Booster seats are for

children from 40 to 80 pounds

■ Lap/shoulder belt only

■ Head restraint

■ Use shoulder belt positioners

High back booster

Belt-positioning backless booster

Step 4: Seat Belts

■ Vehicle seat belts are made for adults and older children 4’9” or taller

■ Most children reach this height at 8 years old and 80+ pounds

■ All children under the age of 13 should still sit in the back seat

Incorrect Restraint Use• Children using adult seat belt face 3.5

times greater risk for serious injury• Child restraints reduce risk of death by

28% compared to adult seat belt• 51-82% of infant car seats and 30% of

booster seats are used incorrectly • incorrect installation • incompatible with child’s height, weight, or age • straps are too loose

www.boosterseat.org

Tribal Child Safety Seat Laws• Does your tribe have a current law for on

reservation?

• Do you know what that law mandates?

• What are your impressions of community compliance with state or tribal laws?

Possible Interventions• Certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician • Free or low cost child seats• Loaner program• Enact child passenger restraint law / Increased enforcement of

existing laws• Health care providers ask about car seat use & reinforce the

importance of seats• View crash test videos• Have wrecked vehicle at community events• Training on proper use• Have children design seat covers

Child Safety Seat Resources National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

www.nhtsa.gov

Washington State Booster Seat Coalition www.boosterseat.org

Washington Safety Restraint Coalition www.800bucklup.org/

Elder Safety and Falls Prevention

Impact of Elder Falls

In the Northwest, falls are responsible for up to 25% of unintentional injury deaths for American Indians/Alaska Natives aged 55 and over 3

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (1999-2007) [cited Feb 18 2009].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

Proven Interventions: What Works

• Comprehensive check-ups

• Medication management• Vision care• Home safety• Regular exercise for

balance & strength

Elder Falls Resources

• Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (CA) www.stopfalls.org

• CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls

Bike Safety and Helmet Use

Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Community

Why Wear Helmets?

• Native American children die from injuries twice as often as children from other races 4

• Helmets can reduce head injuries by 85% and brain injuries by 88% 5

4 National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics System. 2000-2004 mortality statistics. Hyattsville (MD): National Center for Health Statistics, 2007. Accessed 3/6/08

5 National SAFE KIDS Campaign (NSKC). Bicycle Injury Fact Sheet. Washington (DC): NSKC, 2004. http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=540&content_item_id=1010. Accessed 2/7/2008.

Bike and Helmet Safety Resources

• Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center www.bicyclinginfo.org

• National Bike Safety Coalition www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/bikeinjuries.html

Home Safetyand Fire Prevention

Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Community

Keeping Homes Safe• Escape plans• Emergency services• Smoke/CO2 detectors• Home safety for Elders• Youth programs and activities• Environmental concerns

Home and Fire Safety Resources

• FireSafety.gov

• Home Safety Council www.homesafetycouncil.org

Preventing Injuries at the Community Level

• What injury prevention efforts are priorities for YOUR communities?

• Who is involved, or could be involved?

Injury Prevention in Indian Country Toolkit

• Designed for those interested in starting or expanding Tribal Injury Prevention Programs

• Full Toolkit or CD only

• Fact sheets, presentations, brochures

• Developed jointly by Northwest, California and Southern Plains Tribal EpiCenters

Assessing the Need in Your Community Who is being injured? How are these people being injured? How many of these injuries have occurred, and over what

time period? Are they increasing or decreasing in frequency?

Which of these injuries is most significant in terms of: personal impact economic costs social consequences

Assessing the Need in Your Community Are local injury rates higher or lower than the national or

state rate? How does it compare to other health problems?

What are community issues (cultural, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors) that could be contributing to injuries?

What is involved in decreasing injuries? Are there strategies other communities have used that have proven effective or promising?

What are community strengths (cultural, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors) that could help reduce injuries?

General Injury Prevention Resources

• Indian Health Service Portland Area Injury Prevention www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/portlandinjury

• CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) www.cdc.gov/injury

This presentation is a collaboration between the Tribal Epidemiology Center Consortium (with materials coming from the consortium’s Injury Prevention in Indian Country toolkit) and the Native CARS Study.

This publication was supported by Award Number U50 MN024133 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a Cooperative Agreement with the Tribal Epidemiology Center Consortium. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.

CONTACTS:

Bridget CanniffTribal EpiCenter Consortium

503-228-4185 x302bcanniff@npaihb.org

Tam Lutz, Native CARS503-228-4185 x271tlutz@npaihb.org