Prevalence and burden of injuries among residents of Henan Province in 2022-2023

Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2026 Feb 10;47(2):315-322. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112338-20250520-00332.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of injuries among residents in Henan Province from 2022 to 2023, providing evidence for identifying priority areas in injury prevention and control. Methods: A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to investigate the injury occurrence among 39 300 residents in 14 counties (districts) of Henan Province from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023. Injury mortality data were obtained from the 2023 cause-of-death surveillance results. The burden of injuries was assessed using indicators including medical treatment for injuries, hospitalization and rest duration, economic burden, mortality rate, potential years of life lost (PYLL), and work years of potential life lost (WPYLL). Results: The injury incidence rate in Henan Province during 2022-2023 was 6.44%, with males (6.93%) higher than females (5.94%). Significant differences (χ²=27.99, P<0.001) were observed among children aged 0-17 (6.88%), adults aged 18-59 (4.91%), and those aged ≥60 (10.36%); Unintentional injuries accounted for 99.15% of all injury types, with the top three causes being falls (3.38%), road traffic injuries (1.22%), and animal-related injuries (0.85%). The injury mortality rate in Henan Province was 38.32 per 100 000, with a higher rate among males (51.25/100 000) than among females (24.67/100 000) and in rural areas (38.83/100 000) than in urban areas (36.71/100 000). The top three causes of injury mortality were unintentional road traffic injuries (14.68/100 000), accidental falls (8.17/100 000), and suicide (5.59/100 000). During the investigation period, the estimated hospitalization days due to injuries in Henan Province totalled 24 985 600, and the total number of rest days due to injuries was 151 298 900. The standardized rates of PYLL and WPYLL for injury-related deaths ranked the top three causes as unintentional road traffic injuries, suicide, and accidental falls. Road traffic injuries caused the highest average economic cost per injury (14 399.00 yuan). Conclusions: Males, rural residents, the elderly aged ≥60, and children aged 0-17 are the key populations for injury occurrence and mortality in Henan Province. Falls and road traffic injuries are the major types of injury occurrence and fatalities in Henan Province, with road traffic injuries imposing the highest economic burden. Therefore, targeted intervention measures should be developed and implemented based on the characteristics of different populations and injury types.

PMID:41765673 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112338-20250520-00332