U.S. Army Annual Injury Epidemiology Report 2007

摘要

Injuries are a leading cause of death, disability, and medical encounters among active duty U.S. Army personnel. Medical surveillance data provide a useful tool for defining the magnitude of the Army injury problem, injury rates and trends, and causes of injuries. This report summarizes injuries among non-deployed, active duty U.S. Army Soldiers in 2007 using available medical surveillance data. In 2007, over 890,000 medical encounters were due to injury. Among all Army Soldiers, the 2007 injury visit rate was 2, 233 injury visits/1,000 Soldiers, or 2.2 visits/Soldier. Injury visit rates increased slightly in recent years (22.8% from 2005 to 2007), while trainee rates from 2003 to 2007 declined by 27.2%. Injuries accounted for 19.9% of all hospitalizations and 28.5% of outpatient visits. Leading causes of unintentional injury hospitalizations were falls/near falls (16.9%), land transport accidents (16.8%), and athletics/sports (11.9%). Leading types of acute injuries were sprains/strains, contusions/superficial wounds, and fractures. Leading chronic injury conditions were inflammation and pain (overuse) and joint derangements. These results provide important indicators of potential injury prevention targets and research priorities. Summaries of Injury Prevention Program (IPP) analyses, field investigations, and evaluations completed in 2007 are also presented. Topics included the examination of predictors of injuries and attrition in basic training, seasonal variations in injury rates during Ordnance School training, and the effectiveness of parachute ankle braces on reducing ankle injuries during military airborne operations.