VIOLENCE, DRUGS TOP DEATH LIST

For the first time, shootings and poisonings are responsible for most
of the injury-related deaths in Hamilton County, surpassing fatalities
caused by accidental falls and motor vehicle crashes.

Of the 387 people who died from injuries in 2003, shootings accounted
for 91 deaths. Most of the firearm-related deaths were homicides, the
largest percentage involving men between the ages of 20 and 39,
according to a new report from the Hamilton County Health District.

Poisonings killed another 91 people. Of those, 32 involved men between
the ages of 35 and 54 who unintentionally overdosed on drugs.

The findings should prompt renewed discussion about violence and
substance abuse in the community, said Dr. Richard Ruddy, director of
emergency medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
and chairman of the county's injury surveillance team, which has been
tracking injuries since 1996.

The new report analyzed about 69,000 emergency department visits and
4,500 hospital admissions that occurred among Hamilton County
residents in 2003, the latest year for which complete data is available.

Overall, the report is a mix of good news and bad news.

Fewer people died of injuries - a 19 percent drop from 2002.

But health officials were surprised that firearms and poisonings
emerged as the top mechanisms for death in 2003.

It could be an aberration, said Cynthia Yund, an epidemiologist with
the county.

The surveillance team used a new computer system that year, which
changed the way data was captured for the report. As a result, data
from 2003 may not be directly comparable to previous years.
Researchers will have to wait until next year's report to see if a
trend is clear.

Also, health officials don't want to diminish the long-standing
problem of people - especially the elderly and young children -
falling down steps or slipping on loose carpet.

Falls killed 69 people in 2003 and caused 19,283 non-fatal injuries,
the most common injury in the report.

Traffic accidents also remained the leading cause of death among
children, accounting for 11 of 37 childhood fatalities.

The injury report also noted a continuing trend in childhood
poisonings.

Girls were more likely to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs -
over-the-counter medications or tranquilizers. In fact, 62 percent of
the 117 non-fatal poisonings in children ages 15 to 19 were among
girls and were self-inflicted.

The data on attempted suicide reflects how critical it is for children
to have access to mental health services, Ruddy said.