Four million Canadians over age 12 were injured badly enough last year to restrict their daily activities, says a new report released by Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, a separate report on injury hospitalizations finds that people living in the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada are 30% more likely to be hospitalized with an injury than people in the richest areas.

One in seven Canadians injured in 2009

Injury highlights of the Canadian Community Health Survey released by Statistics Canada include:

• 4.1 million Canadians 12+, or 15% of Canadians over age 12, said they suffered an injury severe enough to limit their usual activities in 2009, up from 13% in 2001. Of those, 55% received medical attention within 48 hours.
• The most common cause of injury was falls, reported by 41% of those injured.
• Taking part in sports or physical exercise was the most frequent type of activity when the injury occurred for both males (41%) and females (28%). Walking (19%) was the second most common injury-related activity for females, followed by household chores (13%). For males, the next most common activities were working (17%) and doing household chores (15%).
• In 2009, adolescents 12-19 had the highest injury rate of all ages covered by the survey at 26% - 23% for girls and 29% for boys.

The study also looked at helmet use for sports including bicycling. It found that 37% of Canadians 12+ always wore a bike helmet while 46% never did. Rates varied, with provinces who have bicycle helmet legislation having higher rates of helmet use. The exception was Ontario, where use at 34% is below the national average of 37%, despite bike helmet legislation requiring use for everyone under age 18.

Injuries and affluence

The Canadian Institute for Health Information report, Injury Hospitalizations and Socio-Economic Status, found that if every socio-economic group had the same injury hospitalization rate as the most affluent group, there would have been 21,000 fewer hospitalizations in 2008-2009, which would have led to savings of $167 million in hospital costs.

The study found hospitalizations for falls, motor vehicle traffic injuries and injuries involving cutting or piercing by a household tool or other sharp object were highest in the least affluent neighbourhoods and lowest in the richest ones. In contrast, hospitalization rates for sports-related injuries were highest in the most affluent areas, possibly reflecting higher participation rates in organized sports.

Falls were the most common cause of injury hospitalization in Canada, accounting for nearly two out of three injury hospitalizations. Rates were 50% higher in the least affluent neighbourhoods compared to the best off ones.