UNINTENTIONAL INJURY IN NEW ZEALAND: PRIORITIES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL REPORT

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in New Zealand for persons aged 1-34. Motor-vehicle traffic crashes and falls are the leading causes involved, and together account for more than 50% of unintentional injuries resulting in death or hospitalization. This paper provides an overview of research on unintentional injury in New Zealand over the last decade or so; highlights that while research has been responsive to areas of priority, specific gaps exist; discusses why those gaps in research might exist; and explores strategic directions for the future. New Zealand injury research has focused on areas of public health priority, with the research agenda strongly influenced by end-users in the policy sphere. The establishment of two successful national centers of excellence in the field has advanced the strategic direction of the research effort in injury prevention in New Zealand. However, there has been limited progress in identification of particular risk factors amenable to intervention, identification of barriers, and development of interventions and evaluation of interventions. Lack of knowledge in these areas is a major impediment to affecting lasting change.