Injuries affecting men in Australia: A closer look

In 2021-22, transport accidents caused close to 33,000 injury hospitalisations in men, and resulted in 1,030 deaths. This represents 14% of all injury hospitalisations among men, and 12% of all injury related deaths. Transport represented the third most common cause of injury hospitalisations for adult men in 2021-22, as well as the third leading cause of death for men. 

Motorcycle riders are most frequently injured

Figure 18: Number of transport-related injury hospitalisations in adult men by type of transport, Australia, 2021-22

Notes:

1. Only includes hospitalisations where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).

The highest number of injury deaths from transport accidents in 2021-22 was for car occupants, with 417 deaths (or 40% of all deaths from transport-related injuries). There were 217 deaths for motorcycle riders (21% of the total), and 120 pedestrian fatalities (12% of the total) (Figure 19)

Figure 19: Number of injury deaths caused by transport accidents in adult men by type of transport, Australia, 2021-22

Notes:

1. Transport categories with the 6 highest numbers of deaths are shown in this figure
2. Only includes injury deaths where age at the time of death was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Source: AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD).

Transport injury hospitalisations occur most frequently among younger men, but injury deaths are more frequent in older men

Across all transport types in 2021-22, the crude rate of injury hospitalisation was highest in men aged 19 to 24, with 493 injuries per 100,000 adult men in that age group. For older age groups, the rate of injury decreased with age, to a value of 231 per 100,000 among men aged 65 and over (Figure 20)

The three transport types responsible for most injuries, as identified above, exhibit different patterns across age groups (Figure 20):

• For motorcycle riders, the injury rate is highest in men aged 19 to 24 (close to 200 injuries per 100,000), and decreases with age,
• For car occupants, the injury rate is highest in men aged 19-24, followed by men over the age of 75, 
• For pedal cyclists, the injury rate is highest for men aged 45 to 64.

Figure 20: Crude rate (per 100,000) of transport–related injury hospitalisations in adult men by age group, for all transport types (left) and selected transport types (right), Australia, 2021-22

Notes:

1. Only includes hospitalisations where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).

Deaths from transport-related injuries, on the other hand, were more frequent in older men. The highest crude rate of transport deaths in 2021-22 was observed in men aged 75 and over, with 18 deaths per 100,000 men. The next highest rate was observed in men aged 65 to 74 (13 per 100,000), followed by ages 19 to 24 (12 per 100,000) (Figure 21).

Figure 21: Crude rate (per 100,000) of transport–related injury deaths in adult men by age group, for all transport types (left) and selected transport types (right), Australia, 2021-22.

Notes:

1. Only includes injury deaths where age at the time of death was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Sources: AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD).

Fractures are the most common type of transport injury

The majority of transport-related injury hospitalisations were for fractures, with 17,200 cases, or 52% of the total. Other injury types were much less frequent, with open wounds representing the next most common injury type with 2,900 cases, or 9% of the total (Table 3).

Table 3: Number, percentage, and crude rate (per 100,000) of the 5 most common types of transport-related injury hospitalisations in adult men, Australia, 2021-22

Notes  

1. Only the 5 most common injury types were selected across records where injury type was specified. therefore percentages do not add up to 100%.

Source: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).

Most transport–related injuries impacted the trunk (including thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis), with 8,400 cases, or 25% of total transport-related injuries. Other commonly impacted areas of the body include the shoulders and upper limbs (7,600 cases, or 23%), the head and neck (7,200 cases, or 22%), and the hip and lower limbs (6,100 cases, or 19%) (Figure 22)

Figure 22: Number of injury hospitalisations caused by transport accidents in adult men by body part injured and transport type, Australia, 2021-22

Notes:

1. Only includes hospitalisations where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).

Transport-related injury hospitalisations are more likely in more remote areas

The overall rate of hospitalisation for transport-related injuries increases with remoteness, ranging from 291 injuries per 100,000 adult men in Major cities, to 578 injuries per 100,000 in Very remote areas, a rate almost twice as high (Figure 23)

Figure 23: Crude rates (per 100,000) of transport-related injury hospitalisations in adult men by remoteness, for all transport types (left) and selected transport types (right), Australia, 2021-22

Notes:

1. Rates are crude per 100,000
2. Only includes hospitalisations where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.

Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) and ABS National, state and territory population.

• Injury rates for motorcycle riders are highest in Remote areas (219 per 100,000) and lowest in Major cities (88 per 100,000),
• Injury rates for car occupants are highest in Very remote areas (198 per 100,000) and lowest in Major cities (69 per 100,000),
• Inversely, injury rates for cyclists are highest in Major cities (88 per 100,000) and consistently decrease with remoteness