Have you ever wondered whether your town has more suicides than others? Or whether residents in your community are in more motor vehicle crashes? Just check the Utah Department of Health's (UDOH) new Violence and Injury Small Area report. The report summarizes data on 17 different injury-related topics by "small areas" across the state.

“Small areas” refers to a set of 61 geographic areas in Utah with population sizes ranging from 20,000-60,000 persons. These areas are especially useful for assessing health needs at the community level and targeting programs to those at greatest risk for an injury.

“This data will give state and local health officials the information to make decisions about which communities are in greatest need of limited resources,” said Trisha Keller, Program Manager for the UDOH Violence and Injury Prevention Program. “Utah has made tremendous strides in preventing injuries and violence in our state but this report shows that residents in some areas are at higher risk than others.”

Findings from the report indicate that some injuries vary widely within a local health district. For example, within the 10 small areas that make up the Utah County Health District, the rate of hospitalizations resulting from falls varied from a low of 13.8 to a high of 43.5 per 10,000 persons. The state rate is 23.9 per 10,000 persons.

Data also show that more than 9 in 10 (91.9%) Utah adults report they always or nearly always wear their seatbelts when they drive or ride in a car. However, small areas with lower reported seatbelt use tend to have higher rates of motor vehicle crash fatalities.

The data are presented in tables, graphs, and maps to help show differences across the state. It includes maps of each health district and its small areas to help the reader see where violence and injury problems are concentrated.

The topics in the report include:

• Assault-related injuries
• Child injury fatalities
• Self-reported falls
• Fall hospitalizations
• Self-reported seatbelt usage
• Motor vehicle crashes
• Poisoning fatalities
• Suicide attempts and fatalities
• Student injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Unintentional injuries

For a full copy of the Utah Violence and Injury Small Area report, visit www.health.utah.gov/vipp

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