Injury Prevention Research Center

Lawn mowers may seem like just an ordinary piece of equipment during warmer months, but they are dangerous machinery to young children who ride on them or play near them. Every year 10,000 children are injured by lawn mowers, and these injuries are the number one cause of major limb loss under 10 years of…

A new campaign started in Polk County, Iowa, is encouraging residents to talk about gun safety and practice safe storage of guns. Helen Eddy, Director of Polk County Health Department, said Talk It Up, Lock It Up was created to prevent and reduce the number of gun-related injuries occurring in Polk County. Gun injuries are one the…

Among U.S. adults at least 65 years of age, falls are the leading cause of injuries and deaths. Effective falls prevention includes removing tripping hazards from the home and doing strength and balance exercises. Researchers at the University of Iowa are studying a less researched falls prevention strategy, called deprescribing. Deprescribing is when doctors and pharmacists work…

2023 was a big travel year for the UI Injury Prevention Research Center.  A record of 15 faculty, staff, and students attended the annual conference of the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) in Denver Colorado in April. We presented research, led pre-conference sessions, networked, and left energized for the hard work…

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep for health and well-being. However, many shift workers such as nurses struggle to meet these recommended hours of sleep due to long work hours, shift work, and a highly demanding and complex work environment. A study led by Dr. Amany Farag, associate professor in the UI College…

Over the last few years, the Iowa Poison Control Center has seen an alarming trend in the state: A steady rise in the number and severity of deliberate self-poisoning, especially among adolescent girls. Linda Kalin is executive director of the Iowa Poison Control Center (IPCC) where staff provide 24/7 poison information and treatment advice for the public and…

Every year in the U.S., around 3,500 infants die from sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) which is a sleep-related death. SUID is the leading cause of death for babies up to one year of age in the country. SUIDs include sudden and unexpected deaths where a cause can be identified (including accidental suffocation or strangulation…

Victor Soupene, a PhD candidate in the University of Iowa Department of Epidemiology, was empowered by his family’s experiences to pursue a career in epidemiology focusing on improving the health of workers. “Work in my family was always an important point of pride, but unfortunately, injuries were common,” he said. “I think back to my…

Former University of Iowa athlete and professional softball player Dr. Kristin Johnson talks about her UI IPRC pilot research results, why female athletes are at risk for injuries, and where more research is needed.

Two recent studies by researchers of the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center (UI IPRC) looked at how much teens are responsible for car crashes in Iowa, which teens are at fault, and what medical costs result from everyone involved in the crashes.