Socioeconomic differences in injury risks: a review of findings and a discussion of potential countermeasures

Violence and injuries are not only one of the major causes of premature death but are also considered as one of the causes of mortality with the steepest social gradient. This report presents an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding socioeconomic differences in injury risks, reviewing mortality and morbidity studies conducted both inside and outside the WHO European Region, published during the past 17 years and addressing the leading causes of injury, both intentional or unintentional: interpersonal violence, self-directed violence, traffic, falls, drowning, poisoning and burns. Around 300 scientific articles have been selected and reviewed with the aim of highlighting the main features of the knowledge at hand, including where it comes from, how much attention has been paid to various injury causes, which segments of the population have been considered, and whether European studies, when they exist, obtain results that are similar to those from other parts of the world. Studies of interventions that specifically examine outcome effects across socioeconomic groups or areas were also reviewed.

Addressing the socioeconomic safety divide: a policy briefing

Injury and violence are a leading cause of death and disability in the WHO European Region.Wealth is a major determinant of health, and there is a steep social gradient of ill health due toinjuries and violence. People in low- and middle-income countries and more deprived people inhigh-income countries are worse off. Social and economic policies affect families’ susceptibility toinjury by affecting social and physical environments. This policy briefing summarizes evidence onthe socioeconomic safety divide from a large systematic review. It then provides messages for policy-makers, researchers and public health advocates and safety planners on what can be done toaddress this safety divide. Action for preventing injury and violence needs to be intersectoral.Governments need to aim for equity across all types of government policies to address the unevendistribution of injuries. Action needs to be taken both to reduce injuries and violence universally in the population using passive interventions to make the social and physical environmentinherently safer and to target disadvantaged populations. Addressing this important cause ofinequity in health is a matter of social justice.