Injury

Health and Personal Development Stage 6: Extent of Injury
Monday, October 27, 2008


Syllabus Objectives:
9.1 HSC Core 1: Health Priorities in Australia
Critical Question: What are the priority areas for improving Australia’s health?

Students Learn About:
· Priority areas for action
- Injury
· The four Priority areas selected
- Extent of the problem (trends only)

Students Learn To:
· Examine the current AIHW report, Australia’s Health to determine why the seven areas were selected as priorities.
· Identify and draw on current and reliable sources of information to research and analyse four of the priority areas. All students must study CVD, cancer and two other health priorities chosen from the four remaining areas.

7.2 Key Competencies:
Collecting, analyzing and organizing information
Solving problems

KLA Integration:
Analysis skills will be developed through completion of task with emphasis also being placed on critical thinking. Students will be required to construct calculated statements regarding the extent of injury in Australia. Not only will analysis and critical thinking skills be utilised here but also during various other Higher School Certificate subjects as well as beyond the school years. This task will provide students with the opportunity to make informed decisions regarding their health and welfare. Students will furthermore expand their knowledge base on the “basic mathematical concepts in the interpretation of data, trends and related epidemiology” (NSW Board of Studies, 2001).

Scope of Task:
1. Read the passage discussing ‘injury’ and write down key points/ideas/words found in the passage.

2. Reconstruct the passage in your own words using the notes you have made.

3. Record as many types of injuries that you can think of.
Note: Google ‘injuries list’ to identify types you may have missed.

4. Identify the worksheet tilted “Graphs and Explanations”. The first section inolves graphs relating to the extent of injury in Australia and the second involves explanations on the various trends.

5. Match the graph to the explanation for the health tends and paste worksheets into work books.

6. Complete the questions regarding the trends identified on injuries in Australia.

Resources:
Passage Discussing Injury
Why is injury prevention and control a National Health Priority Area?
http://www.aihw.gov.au/nhpa/injury/index.cfm


Worksheet Graphs and Explanations
Injuries In Australia: A Snapshot 2004-2005
Australian Bureau Of Statistics
Correct answers can be found on the wesite

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4825.0.55.001



Worksheet: Graph and Explanations


a)





b)




c)




d)


e)




F)


1. The age group most likely to sustain a recent injury was the 0-14 with a reported prevalence of 25% (males 24%, females 25%).The likelihood of sustaining an injury within the previous four weeks declined with age to 10% of those aged 65 and over. Males reported a slightly higher prevalence of recent injury overall (19%) compared to females (18%), although this pattern varied across age groups



2. In 2004-05, 16% of those persons who received an injury in the four weeks prior to interview visited a doctor or other health professional regarding their injury. Only 5% of those injured visited a hospital. Of those who experienced a recent injury, 22% cut back on their usual activities because of the injury.



3. Mental disorders were the third leading cause of overall burden (13% of total Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)) after cancers (19%) and cardiovascular diseases (17%).Neurological and sensory disorders (12%) were a larger contributor to total DALYs than injuries (9%).



4. The most common form of recent injury was that of an open wound (49% of all persons). Open wounds were a more common form of injury for males (53%) than for females (44%). The age group most likely to suffer from dislocations sprains or torn muscles/ligaments were the 25-34 years age group, where 20% of recently injured persons received this form of injury. In the 65 years and over age group, the common forms of injury included that of an open wound (53% of persons) and bruising (24%). Over one third (39%) of persons who were injured in the four weeks prior to interview injured their legs or feet, whilst one third (34%) of persons received injuries to the hands or fingers. Other common places of injury included arms and wrists (16% of persons) and the head (8%).



5. Leisure activities were the most common activity being undertaken when a person was injured (27% of all persons recently injured were undertaking leisure activity at the time of injury).
In the 0-14 year age group, 54% of injuries occurred during leisure activities. Sports activities accounted for 15% of injuries, while 12% of injuries received in this age group occurred while attending school. In persons aged 15 years and over, leisure activities (27%) was the most common activity being undertaken when an injury occurred in the four weeks prior to interview.



6. Injury death rates are relatively low in childhood. Mortality from all causes is low in this age group, but injury notably accounted for approximately 36% of all deaths between the ages of one and 14 years in 2004. Prominent external causes of death in childhood were drowning (especially for toddlers), transport injuries (especially as pedestrians and cyclists) and interpersonal violence (especially affecting infants). Injury is the main cause of death in the age range during which teenagers become adults. In 2004, 71% of all deaths of those aged 15–24 years were due to injuries, mainly due to transport injuries and suicide.


Discussion Questions:

1. Do you feel that there is a particular age group more at risk of sustaining an injury?
- Young males in road accidents
- Blue collar workers in relation to working in dangerous chemicals, environments, machinery
- Elderly as they have decreased balance and mobility
- Young children from drowning and transport accidents
- Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders
- Low socio-economic status with possibly a decreased education levels

2. Justify your answer using statistical evidence.

3. Account for the reasons why age groups are more at risk of sustaining an injury?
- Young males, increased risk taking behaviour
- Young females, peer pressure
- Elderly, falling over, decreased eye sight
- Low socio-economic status, decreased education level on risk taking behaviour

Rationale:
Completion of this task provides students with the opportunity to develop an increased understanding and awareness of the extent of injuries in Australia society. The task allows students to identify why injury prevention and control has been declared a Nation Priority Area and to the extent injuries impact on the health of Australians. Asking students to re-write the passage which discusses injury will assist the student to develop a personal comprehension of the issue. Completion of the mix and match worksheet activity will serve to promote retention of read information. The activity will also prompt students to be more conscious of the risks associated with injury and subsequently modify their personal behaviour to reduce exposure to the risk of an injury.

Diverse Learners:
The task provides an opportunity for all learners to engage with the stimulus material effectively. Auditory learners are provided with a read-aloud close passage that discusses the overall extent of injury in Australia. Visual learners will be assisted by the use of the graphs provided on the worksheet as students are able to view the extent of the problem in easy to read and understand graphs. The mix-and-match activity allows the kinesthetic learner to interact with the stimulus material by having to physically complete the matching of the graph to the relevant explanation.

Reference List
Australian Bereuo of Statistics. (2006). Injury in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-2005. Accessed on October 25th 2008. Accessed at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4825.0.55.001

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2005). Injury prevention and control. Accessed on October 25th 2008. Accessed at http://www.aihw.gov.au/nhpa/injury/index.cfm

NSW Board Of Studies. (2001). Personal Development, Health and Physical Education:
Preliminary and HSC Course. Board of Studies NSW: Sydney.