INTRODUCTION: Knowledge and understanding of the epidemiological profile is an essential pre–requisite for analysing the public health needs in the country and to enable efficient programme planning and management. Developments in knowledge and medical technology leads to increased demand for health services and it places increasing pressure on health budgets. In many countries including India there is a trend of increasing focus on making choices, while seeking both optimum health gain for health expenditure as well as fair and equitable access to health interventions.  There is increasing public and policy concern to ensure that non–fatal conditions are appropriately reflected in health planning and priority setting. Paucity of adequate, accurate and appropriate statistical data has often led to over–estimations in some instances and under–estimations in others. The lack of uniformity in assessments had led to considerable difficulties in Global comparisons of health needs, Burden of diseases estimation, efficient health promotion, disease control & prevention etc. There was an urgent need to identify a single, acceptable and appropriate yardstick of measurement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS : We had conducted a Community Prospective Study, during 2003–2010 yrs period in Thiruvananthapuram District to know the Burden of Disease due to injury, the costing of injury and the disability of injury victims. The unit of the study was the households in the selected areas of Thiruvananthapuram District.

RESULTS : 9513 households were included; 3503 in urban and 6010 rural. The total numbers of population in the study were 39567.Costing: Injured from Urban spent an average amount of  28,058/– . 75% people spent below  16,900/–. Rural spend an average amount of 16,971/– 75% of persons spent less than 14000.

CONCLUSION: The incidence of injury in Thiruvananthapuram District was 8.74/1000 population. In the rural areas of the District it was 7.98 and in the urban area 9.91 in one year period (2007 to 2008). The total number of population participated in the study were 39567 from 9513 households. From 335 households (urban 145 and rural 190) 346(urban 154 and rural 192) had sustained injury. The Burden of Injury was contributed by 3.6 % of the households (4.1% in urban and 3.2% in rural). Incidence of trauma was comparatively more in urban than rural. There was significant difference between the cost encountered to treat mild and severe cases in rural population, where as no difference is seen in urban area.  An average of  1300/– spend for transportation in urban area and  1600/– in rural area. The cost to accommodate a bystander in urban was found significantly higher   3500/– than rural 1500/– .