Health Provider Checklist for Adolescent and Young Adult Males

Trauma

Unintentional Injury

Key Points

  • Unintended injury takes the lives of three times more young adult males than females and is often linked to motor vehicle accidents connected with substance use.
  • Young adult males are least likely to always or almost always not wear a seatbelt.  Among 12 to 25 year olds, males have two to nearly four times the fatal MVA-occupant injury rates of females.
  • Despite evidence that preventive counseling from a clinician improves seat belt and helmet use and decreases use of illegal substances and other high-risk behaviors among adolescents, few clinicians provide such.
  • Use of interactive technologies by both the provider and the patient may be the most effective means of obtaining information about risky behaviors.

Questions to ask young male patients about Unintentional Injury

Overview

Approximately 73% of deaths in adolescents aged 10-24 years are attributed to injuries from only four causes: motor vehicle crashes (30%), all other unintentional injuries (16%), homicide (16%), and suicide (12%).1 Unintended injury takes the lives of three times more young adult males than females and is often linked to motor vehicle accidents connected with substance use. (Pollack)

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in both males and females: 2

  • 37% of deaths in males, 10-14 years old
  • 47% in males, 15-19 years

The incidence of risk taking behavior is higher among adolescent and young adult males than females.3

Young adult males are least likely to always or almost always to wear a seatbelt.  Among 12 to 25 year olds, males have two to nearly four times the fatal MVA-occupant injury rates of females.

Among 12 to 25 year olds, males have seven times the non-fatal firearm injury rate of females.

In 2011, among 9th through 12th grade students, males were more likely than females to drive when drinking alcohol one more times and to text or email while driving a car or other vehicle on at least 1 day.4

In 2011, among 9th through 12th grade students, females were more likely than males to wear a bicycle helmet and use a seat belt.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. 2011.

2 . Heron M. Deaths: Leading causes for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 58, no 14. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010.

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2011.

4 Heron M. Deaths: Leading causes for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 58, no 14. Hyattsville,
MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010.