MCH Data Report DOH 160-015 March 2018
Intentional
Injury
Key Findings:
Deaths and Hospitalizations
In 2016, there were 97 intentional injury
deaths among Washington residents ages
0-19, for a rate of 5.4 per 100,000. There
were 65 suicides and 32 homicides.1,a
In 2015, there were 802 nonfatal
hospitalizations due to intentional injury
among Washington youth ages 0-19, for
a rate of 45 per 100,000. 1,b
In 2016, 58 Washington youth ages 15-
19 committed suicide, for a rate of 12.8
per 100,000. In 2015, 441 youth ages
15-19 were hospitalized after a suicide
attempt, for a rate of 89.4 per 100,000.
1,2,a,b
From 2013-2015 death rates and
hospitalization rates for intentional
injuries among all Washington children
were highest in youth ages 15-19
followed by infants. 1,2,a,b
From 2012-2015, among Washington
children ages 0-19 the most common
causes for nonfatal intentional injury
hospitalizations were poisoning,
cutting/piercing, and injuries caused by
being struck by an object or person. 2,b
Definitions:
Intentional injury deaths: Deaths due to homicide and
suicide. a
Intentional injury hospitalizations: Nonfatal
hospitalizations due to assault or attempted suicide. b
The Healthy People 2020 goals for
children and adults combined are to
reduce suicides to no more than 10.2 per
100,000 total population and homicides
to no more than 5.5 per 100,000. For
2016, the Washington all-ages suicide
mortality rate was 14.9 per 100,000 and
the all-ages homicide mortality rate was
3.0 per 100,000. Washington has met the
Healthy People 2020 homicide target but
not the suicide target. 1,3,a
Youth Violence e
In 2016, 24 percent of 6th graders
reported being in a physical fight in the
past 12 months, as did 27 percent of 8th
graders, 21 percent of 10th graders, and
16 percent of 12th graders. In all grades,
males were more likely than females to
report being in a physical fight. 4,c
In 2016, about 5 percent of students in
grades 8, 10 and 12 reported that they
had been a member of a gang in the past
12 months. 4,d
In 2016, between 17-21 percent of
students in grades 8, 10 and 12 reported
having seriously considered attempting
suicide in the past year, while 15 percent
of 6th graders reported having ever
thought about killing themselves. 4,e
Five percent of 6th graders reported ever
having tried to kill themselves. About 8-
10% percent of 8th,10th and 12th graders
reported that they had attempted suicide
one or more times in the previous 12
months. 4,f
