Dr. Aruna Chandran Demonstrates the Need for Increased Investment in Global Injury Research

Epidemiologic Reviews, a journal from Oxford Journals, today published recent work from Dr. Aruna Chandran, the International Injury Research Unit’s associate director of monitoring and surveillance. The paper, entitled “The Global Burden of Unintentional Injuries and an Agenda for Progress,” calls for improvements in injury research and prevention around the world, particularly in low and middle-income countries.

Dr. Chandran led the research project, along with Dr. Adnan Hyder of the International Injury Research Unit and Dr. Corinne Peek-Asa of the University of Iowa. Dr. Peek-Asa is the director of the University of Iowa’s Injury Prevention Research Center.

Using data from the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Study, the researchers concluded that unintentional injuries pose a significant global health burden. According to the WHO, unintentional injuries were responsible for more than 3.9 million deaths in 2004. Road traffic injuries comprise the largest proportion of these (i.e., 33 percent).

Strikingly, more than 90 percent of the 3.9 million injury-related deaths occurred in low and middle-income countries. Many of these countries, especially those with poorly developed public health systems, have yet to prioritize injuries as a public health problem. Because 90 percent of the world’s population lives in low and middle-income countries, more research around injuries is needed so that governments can make informed, evidence-based decisions about the programs that work.

For more information about this research, or to download the full text, please click here.