Posted: April 24th, 2025

Injury and Violence SH

Respond with 2 paragraphs and 4 references APA 7th edition 

Some factors that contribute to injuries and violence are falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports, work, and assault. Low-income communities are more prone to injuries/violence compared to higher-income communities due to the increased level of unemployment, poverty, transiency,  decreased levels of economic opportunity and community participation, poor housing conditions, gang activity, emotional distress, and a lack of access to services (McMahon et al., 2013). Low-income neighborhoods often have substandard housing with structural conditions that increase the risk of injury. Homes may also lack safety equipment. Lower-income areas experience an increased incidence of traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths than more affluent ones. Researchers tend to blame these outcomes on differences in car ownership, with lower-income households expected to use vulnerable active modes at higher rates, as well as being more likely to drive older vehicles with fewer safety features (Dumbaugh, 2022). In contrast, protective factors buffer individuals and communities from these risks. In communities, these buffers include a stable economy, positive social norms, abundant resources, high levels of social cohesion, family support, and rewards for prosocial community involvement (Rosen, 2019). Advanced Practice Nurses could play an important role in reducing violence in adults through both identification and intervention (CDC, 2021). Providers should consider the potential for violence exposure when assessing an adult patient through either formal screening or the recognition of red flags. Identification provides the opportunity for appropriate interventions that may prevent bad outcomes. Such interventions include reporting potential cases of abuse or violence perpetration to the relevant authorities, referring at-risk patients to other professionals, and connecting those patients to community services. Clinical medicine and public health partnerships can help to ensure that life is not stopped by a preventable injury and that thousands are spared the debilitating effects of a car crash, fall, or assault. Effective interventions to prevent injuries and violence are available; an effort to make them more salient and implementable will widen their adoption and effect.