Although black youth historically have lower suicide rates than have whites, during 1980-95, the suicide rate for black youths aged 10 to 19 years increased from 2.1 to 4.5 per 100,000 population. As of 1995, suicide was the third leading cause of death among blacks aged 15 to 19 years. Opportunities To reduce the number and severity of injuries, prevention activities must focus on the type of injury drowning, fall, fire or burn, firearm, or motor vehicle. For example, a nonfatal spinal cord injury produces the same outcome whether it was caused by an unintentional motor vehicle crash or an attempted suicide. Understanding injuries allows for development and implementation of effective prevention interventions.
Some interventions can reduce injuries from both unintentional and violence-related episodes.
For instance, efforts to promote proper storage of firearms in homes can help reduce the risk of assaultive, intentional self-inflicted, and unintentional shootings in the home. As these cases are examined, interventions can be developed to address ways injuries occur for instance, unintentional poisonings in children or hangings among teenagers that are emerging in society as growing public health concerns. Poverty, discrimination, lack of education, and lack of employment opportunities are important risk factors for violence and must be addressed as part of any comprehensive solution to the epidemic of violence. Strategies for reducing violence should begin early in life, before violent beliefs and behavioral patterns can be adopted. Many potentially effective culturally and linguistically competent intervention strategies for violence prevention exist, such as parent training, mentoring, home visitation, and education.