Fact: Injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults.

USF College of Public Health research and interventions have led to declines in mortality and morbidity. By advocating policy changes, like Florida’s mandatory child bicycle helmet law that became effective on Jan. 1, 1997, public health researchers are saving lives.

Bicycle helmet safety is one major advancement with injury prevention, but the work needs to continue. It must continue until the world recognizes that injuries like suffocations, drownings, as well as motor, bicycle, and sports injuries are totally preventable.

“We created a video focused on the leading causes and prevention strategies for child and adolescent injuries with one goal in mind—change behavior so that lives are saved and people can reach their full potential,” said Dr. Karen Liller, a child and adolescent injury professor at USF.

“Injury prevention does its best, many times, when there’s a policy change or a legislative change, because it just reaches more people,” Liller said. “However, it’s not feasible or practical to attempt to correct all behavior through policy.”

“It is our hope that the video will be widely circulated and used as a resource by child health and injury prevention organizations around the world.”

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