[Accidents - places, circumstances, sequels. Results of a German federal health survey 1998].

Accident data of a representative sample of the German population aged 18 to 79 years are presented. Database was the 1998 Federal German Health Survey. Men suffer more often from accidents than women (15.1 versus 9.4 %); this figure is mainly based on the accident frequency of young men. Main emphases of the injury events lay on domestic accidents, work accidents and sports/leisure accidents. Regarding the domestic accidents more far-reaching preventive measures should be predominantly undertaken since these accidents must be regarded as largely avoidable. The frequency of work accidents is very different, depending on the occupational group. The accident frequency of trainees calls especially for prevention measures. The risk of a work accident increases with the combination of physical activity and responsibility. There are also early defined incidences of strain enhancing the risk of work accidents. Again, the incidence of leisure accidents is especially great for the male population. Since regular sports is part of health system recommendations, the steep rise in the rate of sports accidents should not be tolerated. More than 70 % of all working persons are not fit for work after an accident. If a physically exhausting profession is practised, then accidents result by more than 80 % in inability to work. The frequency peak of the duration of the work inability is 1 to 2 weeks. The duration of a work inability after an accident increases with increasing age. Bone fractures as a consequence of injuries play an increasingly great role with increasing age; in women earlier than in men. In persons over 70 years of age, far more than half of the injury consequences result in bone fractures.