Injury Prevention Research Center

Research shows that kids who begin drinking alcohol at young ages are more likely to be in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash. Driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances not only poses a serious risk to the lives of young drivers but also endangers their friends and other road users. While some parents introduce alcohol…

In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of death of children ages 1-4 and the second cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. Most drowning deaths of younger children occur in swimming pools. Black children ages 10-14 drown at higher rates than white children and are more likely to drown in public pools. Having…

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…

University of Iowa assistant professor of epidemiology Jonathan Platt studies the bigger picture of why suicides are affecting some groups of youth more than others. Research shows an increasing trend of suicides among racially minoritized youth in the U.S., especially non-Hispanic Black youth. “The unanticipated rise in suicide deaths among non-Hispanic Black youth has drawn urgent calls from…