Home injuries among adults in Stavanger, Norway

Norwegian injury register data were analyzed to examine unintentional home injuries among persons aged 25 to 64 years residing in Stavanger, Norway, during 1992. A total of 782 persons received medical treatment for injury during 1992 (15.4 per 1000 population). The incidence was similar for males and females (15.8 and 14.9 per 1000 population); however, the exposure-specific injury rate was significantly higher for males (5.0 vs 3.1 per 1 million person-hours). This difference was entirely due to the much higher injury rate among males aged 25 to 44 years. The estimated first-year cost (direct and indirect) per injury was $2700. Home injuries among adults appear to be an overlooked public health problem that warrants increased attention.