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Major causes of injury in Alberta

The major injury causes leading to death, hospitalizations and/or emergency department visits in Alberta:

  • Suicide/self-inflicted injuries
  • Motor vehicle-related injuries
  • Unintentional poisonings
  • Falls
  • Other injuries due to being struck by an object/person or cutting and piercing
  • Other significant injury causes are homicide, drowning, fire and burns, assault, adverse effects, exertion, and suffocation.
  • Injuries involving Aboriginal people are two to four times higher than the general population.
  • Farming and workplace injuries are significant concern.
  • Alcohol is a major factor in injuries.

AICS

Development of the Alberta Injury Control Strategy (AICS)

As the leading cause of death forAlbertans 44 and under, injuries rankamong the most serious health challenges that Alberta faces. In fact, Alberta has one of the highest injury rates in Canada. Many stakeholders have been addressing this problem over the years without a coordinated framework to guide effective planning and implementation of injury control initiatives among all stakeholders in the injury control field in Alberta.

Given these concerns, and with direction from the Alberta Centre for Injury Control& Research (ACICR) Advisory Body and Alberta Health and Wellness, in the spring of 2002 ACICR initiated, facilitated and funded the Alberta Injury Control Strategy (AICS) project to develop a provincial strategy for injury control. A consultant was hired to work with a Coordinating Team of ACICR representatives and an AICS Advisory Committee comprised of a number of key players in injury control in Alberta. A broad range of injury control stakeholders from across the province provided input and feedback through regional and provincial consultation sessions and a provincial Summit.

As a result, an Alberta Injury Control Strategy document was completed in the spring of 2003. With the vision of “Making Alberta the Safest Place to Live”, the Strategy sets out seven strategic goalswith specific objectives and recommended actions. Both the executive summary and complete document are available on the ACICR website, along with more information about ACICR at www.acicr.ualberta.ca.

The Alberta Injury Control Strategy also outlines five recommendations seen as key to the successful implementation of the Strategy. In order to fully and successfully implement the recommendations, the AICS Advisory Committee and ACICR are seeking broad, high level, cross-ministerial acceptance, policy participation and implementation  support for the Strategy from the Government of Alberta. The AICS Advisory Committee approved the AICS recommendation that ACICR assume the coordination role in moving the Strategy forward, within the limitations of current human and financial resources, while awaiting government acceptance and implementation support for the Strategy. A Steering Committee was setup to guide and oversee the project and ACICR assigned a staff member to coordinate activities.

As a first step, the AICS Advisory Committee recommended seeking broad community, regional and provincial multi-stakeholder participation and support by establishing an Alberta Injury Control Alliance revolving around the Strategy to provide a concrete way for organizations, business and industry, communities, schools, and other stakeholders to ‘signon’ and help move the Alberta Injury Control Strategy forward.