While young adults attending college experience lower death rates than many, the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1-44 is unintentional injury (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). Unintentional injuries for the young adult population between the ages of 18-34 include a number of violent situations such as motor vehicle accidents, poisoning, homicide, suicide, suffocation, drowning, and falls (CDC, 2019), all of which can occur suddenly, and arise without expectation. These situations often leave a person incapacitated and unable to voice their own autonomous health care choices.

​

These definitions will help you understand more.