Violence is a Leading Cause of Death among Young American Adults

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 80 percent of deaths recorded in people 30 and younger are linked to injuries and violence. The findings are published in the journal The Lancet.

"Nearly 180,000 people of all ages in the U.S. die every year from injury and violence -- that's one death every three minutes," said lead study author Tamara Haegerich, a researcher in CDC's division of unintentional injury prevention, via Health Day. "Injuries and violence are not inevitable - they can be prevented."

Researchers examined the effects of injuries, intended and unintended, as well as violence, on death rates and health care costs in 2010. They found that during that year, the leading causes of death in young people was unintentional injury, suicide and homicide, with about 31.2 million unintentional and violence-like nonfatal injuries that cost over $500 billion in both medical care and lost productivity.

Researchers found that the top five causes for death of all ages was often related to motor-vehicle accidents, falls, firearm suicides and homicides and poisoning.

The number of deaths by suicide doubled the number of deaths caused by homicides at 38,364 to 16,259, with men four times more likely to take their own lives than women. Eighty percent of injuries among young adults could also be blamed on injuries alone, according to the report, and another 20 percent could be attributed to chronic disease and infections.

The researchers and experts stressed the importance of adopting programs that can help prevent injuries, particularly those caused by firearms or vehicle accidents.

"When prevention strategies are used, they are effective, but some measures get lost in political infighting," added Dr. Leopoldo Malvezzi, the trauma director at Miami Children's Hospital in Florida. "This country has the biggest number of firearm-related deaths. No other civilized country has this kind of number."