Objectives: This study examined trends in mortality due to unintentional injuries between 1968 and 1997. Methods: Data from Vital Statistics of Japan were used to depict trends in mortality due to road traffic injuries, falls, drowning, suffocation, fires and poisoning, by sex and age group, particularly of children under 5 years of age and the elderly aged 75 or over. Results: Mortality of unintentional injuries was rapidly reduced in the early 1970's owing largely to a dramatic decline of road traffic injuries. It, however, began to rise in the late 1980's because of increasing mortality of home injuries such as falls, drowning and suffocation. In order to take age into account, we examined the trends by age group and identified that mortality due to falls, drowning and suffocation has actually increased in the elderly. On the contrary, in the past 30 years a remarkable decline was seen in mortality due to suffocation among infants and drowning among children. Conclusions: In aging society, home injuries are becoming more eminent with the elderly, depriving of their life and affecting their quality-of-life. Effective interventions, as evidenced in prevention of child injuries, will ultimately help alleviate social and economic losses due to unintentional injuries in later adulthood.
