About CDC's Injury Center
Our Priorities
Injury is a serious public health problem because of its potential impact on the health and well-being of all people.
CDC's Injury Center has targeted three areas as its current priorities in injury and violence prevention. These areas are priorities because of their high cost, and the availability of solutions to reduce the numbers and severity of related injuries and their consequences.
- Preventing Child Maltreatment
[PDF 783 KB] - Preventing Residential Fire Injuries [PDF 140 MB]
- Preventing Falls Among Older Adults [PDF 1.16 MB]
- State Injury and Violence Prevention Program [PDF 946 KB]
Preventing Child Maltreatment
The Reality
- In 2006, 1,530 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States.
- It is reported that approximately one in seven children between the ages of 2 and 17 are victims of child maltreatment. However, most cases are not reported to social services or police.
- Children younger than 4 years of age are at greatest risk of death from child maltreatment, with infants under 1 year old accounting for 44%.
Our Role
- Promoting positive parenting by creating safe, stable, nurturing relationships.
- Improving data collection systems for child maltreatment to guide program development and evaluation, and to support the measurement and monitoring of risk and protective factors.
- Investing in programs and research that build capacity of states and communities to implement prevention research programs and to improve services for children affected by abuse.
Preventing Residential Fire Injuries
The Reality
- Each year in the United States there are approximately 400,000 residential fires reported to fire departments.
- Residential fire-related death rates are highest for adults 65 years and older and children 4 years and younger.
- In the United States in 2006, on average, someone died in a fire nearly every 162 minutes and someone was injured every 32 minutes.
Our Role
- Supporting research that identifies factors that may cause an older adult to fall, address fear of falling, and develop programs to address these factors
- Developing communication tools that increase awareness of the risk of falling among older adults, family members, caregivers, and others.
- Disseminating and evaluating proven interventions, such as community-based prevention programs that target older adults at risk for falling.
Preventing Falls Among Older Adults
The Reality
- Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults age 65 and older in the United States.
- One in three Americans age 65 and older fall each year.
- Older adults are the fastest growing segment of our population. The 65 and over population will increase from 35 million in 2000 to 55 million in 2020 (an increase of 50%).
Our Role
- Promoting positive parenting by creating safe, stable, nurturing relationships.
- Improving data collection systems for child maltreatment to guide program development and evaluation, and to support the measurement and monitoring of risk and protective factors.
- Investing in programs and research that build capacity of states and communities to implement prevention research programs and to improve services for children affected by abuse.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
4770 Buford Hwy, NE
MS F-63
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
24 Hours/Every Day - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
