Safety at All Ages - Injury prevention programme in Finland

Abstract Background Injuries are the fourth most common cause of death and second most common cause of treatment in specialised healthcare in Finland. Age-adjusted death rate of injuries has dramatically decreased during the past 50 years. Safety at All Ages - Programme's aim is to reduce injuries by 25 % from 2020 to 2030 with multisectoral collaboration in different environments. Methods This study is based on Official Statistics on Causes of Death in Finland and the Care Register for Special Health Care HILMO. All variables were characterized with frequencies and percentages as well as population-adjusted numbers to determine incidence. Results Approximately 90% of fatal unintentional injuries and 80% of injuries leading to trauma take place at home and during leisure time. In 2022-2024, among people under 25 years, from 25 to 64 years and elderly (65+) there were annually respectively some 7700, 16 500 and 43 900 inpatient care periods due to unintentional injuries in Finland (population of some 5.6 million). Comparatively, among these age groups 118, 622 and 1689 persons died annually due to injuries. The most common types of injuries were falls, poisonings and traffic accidents. Main injuries treated in inpatient settings among youth were due to falls (44%) and traffic (17%) and among people aged 25-64 years falls (54%) and traffic (14%) while for the elderly the majority were falls (84%). Mortality for falls is remarkable for elderly and poisonings due to drugs has increased significantly among 15-24 years old. Conclusions According to the longitudinal statistics the incidences (in relation to population size) of injury-related deaths have decreased in population level implying a large fraction of injuries would be preventable. Systematic coordination and evaluation are essential to monitor progress and provide strategic guidance. Key messages • Unintentional injuries cause significant number of health losses in Finland. • Multisectoral continuous preventive work is still needed.