bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indiscriminate use of siren in non emergency situations on African roads
Authors: Ojugbana C C , David O , Ikediashi I G , Christopher O
Published: March 2011

On Nigeria roads, most top government officials use siren fitted vehicles (SFV). Recorded incidents of Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) associated with SFV are alarming.

Objective of Study

To investigate the proposed restriction of SFV by the Nigerian Legislature and provide suggestions that may reduce speed related RTI.

Method

A study was conducted on the Legislative bill on SFV and Observation was carried for 2 weeks on four road safety check points of the busy Lokoja-Abuja highway, a stretch of about 138 km.

Analysis

The Legislative bill restricts SFV to emergency services, the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker House of Representative, Chief Justice, State Governors and their Deputies. Study revealed four SFV related road crashes and 16 near miss incidents. At the four check points observed, no SFV was stopped for violating any traffic offence despite their high speed movements and illegal tinting of their wind screen. Road safety officers exhibited a lack of capacity to regulate the reckless drivers of SFVs.

Conclusion

Traffic regulations are grossly abused by over 95% of SFVs thus resulting to recorded road fatalities and huge potential of causing RTIs. The proposed Nigerian law on restricting use of siren to a category of citizens will be an ineffective road safety measure and it is akin to asking African leaders not to lead by example. Siren use by non emergency vehicles should be banned absolutely.
Road traffic accidents in the province of Milan (Italy): which risk factors?
Authors: Orsi C , Marchetti P , Marinoni A , Morandi A
Published: March 2011

Road accidents are a great problem in our society. To identify the major risk factors for road accidents in the province of Milan (Lombardy region, Italy), we analysed the police reports of more than 120 thousand road accidents that had occurred in 2004–2005. Using logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratios were calculated to estimate the likelihood of being injured or of dying rather than of being unhurt. Analysis were conducted for the drivers of all vehicle types collapsed, and separately for the drivers of each vehicle category. The most important findings are the following. The risks of being injured or of dying are higher for riders of two-wheeled vehicles compared to car drivers and decrease from bicycles to motorcycles to mopeds. Women have a higher risk of being injured (OR 1.98, 95%CI 1.91 to 2.05) but a lower risk of dying (OR=0.64, 95%CI 0.42 to 0.99). Compared with people younger than 30 years, people aged ≥65 have a higher risk of dying (OR 2.84, 95%CI 1.84 to 4.32). Accidents which occur during the night and during the week-end are more serious. Accidents on extra-urban roads are more dangerous than those in the urban area; accidents on motorways have a risk of death higher than those in urban areas (OR 2.05, 95%CI 1.43 to 2.95), while the risk of being injured is smaller (OR 0.44, 95%CI 0.42 to 0.46). The most dangerous accidents are the single-vehicle ones. The analysed database offers a consistent image of accidents in a broad metropolitan area, and supplies many elements of scientific evidence useful to plan preventive interventions.
Investigation on speed related road crashes on highways of developing countries. The Nigerian Case study
Authors: Ojugbana C C , Maxwell A , Christopher O , Olebunne K
Published: March 2011

In Africa, credible studies indicate that defective road design, poor driver education, increase in vehicular use and bad roads condition have combined to make speeding beyond legal limit very unsafe.

Objective

To investigate existing efforts for addressing speed related road crashes in Nigeria and make recommendations.

Method

A 3-week observation was carried out on Benin-Asaba road, a major Nigerian highway of 150km transversing three cities; Benin, Onitsha and Asaba. 240 drivers and road users were interviewed. Road Safety check points were examined.

Analysis

The investigation revealed non-existence of speed limit signs and no speed calming initiative except one product advert with. Enforcement officers at Check points had no speed monitoring facilities. 84% of road users interviewed confirmed speeding beyond legal limit of 100km/h as major cause of RTIs. 98% of drivers interviewed have never been booked for speeding violations yet 80% confirmed exceeding 100km speed limit at various times. No established procedure to report erring drivers.

Conclusion

Speeding beyond limit is a major cause of road crashes in Nigeria. Lack of monitoring facilities make prosecution of erring drivers almost impossible. The Road Safety regulating agency should be well equipped with speed monitors and appropriate speed limit signs should be placed on highways. NGOs and National Road Safety Agency should collaborate to conduct sensitisation and build capacity of road users to report erring drivers through provision of call centre numbers.
Investigating effectiveness of speed cameras in developing communities the Nigerian perspective
Authors: David O , Ojugbana C C , Onyewelehi E , Eseanobi A
Published: March 2011

Major studies on road safety in Africa have confirmed speed related collisions as a major contributory factor to road safety crisis. The call for the introduction of traffic surveillance cameras as a measure to check speeding violations in an African country like Nigeria is strong but controversial.

Objective

To review the effectiveness and appropriateness of speed cameras as an intervention measure for reducing road crashes in Nigeria.

Method

Speed Camera initiatives of Surrey Safety Camera Partnership-UK, Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership-Scotland and Mobile Safety Camera Units of Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership were studied. Their efficiency, prerequisite facilities for implementation and relationship with the judiciary were noted.

Analysis

The study revealed that speed cameras are useful in reducing road casualties and that uninterrupted power supply was a fundamental requirement for its efficiency. Collaboration between the judiciary and road safety regulating agency was necessary for data interpretation and acceptance. In Nigeria, acceptance of e-documents as evidence by the Judiciary is still at its incubating stage.

Conclusion

The epileptic nature of power supply in most parts of Africa would render speed cameras ineffective. Speed cameras will make the most sense when African countries have addressed the sad issue of incessant power interruption and non-acceptance of e-documents as evidence in law courts. Otherwise, speed camera initiative will be a colossal waste of resources.
The SKYNET data: demography and injury reporting in Swedish skydiving
Authors: Westman A , Sjoling M , Lindberg A , Bjornstig U
Published: March 2011

Background

The usefulness of the Swedish Parachute Association (SFF) national registry of skydiving injuries may benefit from a description of its base population and an evaluation of its sensitivity and specificity.

Methods

Cross-sectional analysis based on data collected through a web-based questionnaire (SKYNET), from all persons renewing a Swedish skydiving license 2008 (n=1049). Sensitivity was measured as the proportion of injury events fulfilling the reporting criterion that were actually reported, by comparing the injury events reported to the SFF during the skydiving seasons 2006 and 2007 with the injury events retrospectively reported to the web-based questionnaire for the same time period. Specificity was measured as the proportion of false positives for the same time period. Factors affecting the likelihood of reporting were evaluated using logistic regression.

Results

Response rate 100%. Overall sensitivity 2006/2007 was 0.37 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.51). For self-stated non-minor injuries, the sensitivity was 0.67 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.85). No significant effect on reporting was found for gender, age, license level, years in the sport, total number of jumps or club affiliation. The specificity was 0.91 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.95). Descriptive statistics of the Swedish skydiving population show gender differences.

Conclusions

The low sensitivity will yield false low incidence calculations, but risk comparisons related to the candidate predictor variables appear reasonably valid. The false positive reporting warrants assortment of incoming data.
Reducing harm associated with women in using commercial motorcycle transportation in a developing country
Authors: Ojugbana D , Olebunne K , Ojugbana C C , Okonkwo A
Published: March 2011

Statement of Purpose

In Nigeria, dangers posed by commercial motorcyclists at nights are very disturbing. Past studies have shown that a high number of harm incidents involved women, who were robbed, brutalised, raped and killed. The situation is similar for most countries in sub Saharan Africa. The study seeks to address the issue of women vulnerability in commercial motorcycle transportation.

Method

Questionnaires and direct interviews were administered to 1200 road users in various locations. Views on causes and suggestions were recorded from passengers of commercial motorcycles, officials of road unions and police. The study lasted 9 months and the data were statistically analysed.

Summary of Results

Results showed that 75% of respondents agreed that motorcycle transportation at nights is unsafe. 68% affirmed that women are targets. Incidents of rape and abuse were noted. 72% of women respondents have stopped night movements. Police officials confirmed harassment and attack. 90% of victims were unable to give description of attackers. Unorganised system of transportation, poor monitoring and inability of the victims to identify attackers hinder progress. The study concludes that actions of unchecked commercial motorcyclists at nights often result in severe consequences for women. The use of motorcycles for commercial transportation between the hours of 19:00 and 06:00 requires additional measures such as data base with verifiable personal information of cyclists.
Electrical injuries prevention psychological means
Authors: Vasilyeva I
Published: March 2011

The problem of electrical injuries is hard to solve. It has strong psychological determinant. Orientation in high voltage conditions has no full value in psychological sense. It has no warning sensor images, activating cautious behaviour like other occupational risks: mechanical force frightens with clatter. Flame frightens with heat. There are fear of heights and fear of deepness. But there is no fear of electrical danger. Orientation in high voltage conditions takes place only at the intellectual level in form of symbolic structures-electrical diagrams. Sense organs don't support orientation, don't lead in decision-making. Quite the opposite, they disorientate in reality, deceive their owner, they don't warn of real danger. It means that safe behaviour of electrician supposed to include a special mental skill to reverse mentality and to focus on constant risk detection. Its psychologically an unordinary skill. It isn't formed spontaneously. But it can be taught during vocational training. We suggest using visual illusions as an effective psychological technique that helps to learn this skill. Visual illusion is the exact model of false perception: perceived images don't represent reality. It can be an adequate symbol of electrical danger. Illusion demonstrates how the mind can deceive, and motivates a person to check and recheck his/her actions. Strong self-checking ability compensates the lack of sensor orientation and helps to prevent injuries.

We use images of various illusions during safety briefing for electricians, in design of classrooms and working space, in self-check training, in warning posters, etc.
Bicycle riding in Israel
Authors: Peleg K , Siman-Tov M
Published: March 2011

Background

Bicycle riding has become a popular form of recreation and sport. Safety and injury prevention related to bicycling in Israel is unknown.

Objectives

To characterise cycling behaviours among adults in Israel.

Methods

An observational study was performed and questionnaires were completed for adult cyclists, ages 18 years and older. Data were collected in May 2008 and focused on riding characteristics, bicycle-related injuries and use of protective gear. Comparisons were performed based on cycling type off-road, road, leisure (park) and transportation-related.

Results

Observations were conducted on 3945 cyclists and questionnaires were completed for 679 cyclists. Off-road and road cyclists had more years of cycling than leisure cyclists, tended to ride in groups rather than alone (95% vs 75%, respectively), rode more often during the week (40% vs 24%, respectively) and for longer periods of time. Differences in the use of safety accessories were also observed. Self-reported injuries differed by cycling type. Half of the road cyclists reported injuries over the past 3 years, which was 1.5 times greater than for off-road cyclists and 2.5 times greater than for leisure cyclists.

Conclusions

Bicycle riders are considered a high-risk group vulnerable to injury. This study should be used as a basis to promote safe-cycling as well as for developing appropriate intervention programs in an effort to reduce bicycle-related injuries.
An epidemiological study on road traffic injury in China
Authors: Chi G , Wang S
Published: March 2011

Objective

To explore the influencing factors and secular of road traffic injury (RTI) in China, and to furnish evidence to formulate strategy and measures to improve RTI.

Methods

By using some indices such as level of traffic safety (LTS), level of population safety (LPS), mortal coefficient (MC) etc to evaluate and analyse the features of road injury in China.

Results

Most of the increased traffic-related mortality is in rural areas, particularly among rural males. The 26–45 years age-group represented the majority of all fatalities and overall casualties, and the age-group over 65 year olds having an increased trend in China. The western provinces of Tibet, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu are the most serious of RTI. In a word, the main risk factors of RTI in China are road quality, motorisation, volume of traffic transportation, maldriving and the behaviours of pedestrians.

Conclusions

Preventive measures should focus on high-risk demographic groups and should be adapted to the composition of the traffic-related mortality.
Using Google analytics to evaluate implementation of a web-based injury intervention
Authors: Winston F K , Yang C , Marsac M , Kohser K , Kassam-Adams N
Published: March 2011

Background

The Web is a frequent dissemination path for injury prevention and care information, but little is known about naturalistic, real-world use of Web-based information. AfterTheInjury.org is an empirically grounded website developed to help parents help their children recover from injury, focusing on secondary prevention of traumatic stress symptoms.

Methods

AfterTheInjury.org pages have embedded Google Analytics code to track use and navigation. Each page was categorised (by content) as a page for parents to: learn about injury/traumatic stress (Learn), rate child reactions (Rate), or find ways to help their child (Act); plus administrative pages (Administration). The Google Analytics interface was used to download site use statistics. Analyses were conducted to describe patterns of: overall use, use by page type, and users navigational paths.

Results

In calendar year 2009, 7695 users visited the website. For the majority (73.05%), this was their first visit. On average, they visited 4.66 pages for an average length of visit of 2 min 13 s. The longest time was spent on Learn pages (597 516 total seconds across users) followed by Act (243 359 seconds), Administrative (125 719 s), and Rate pages (60 583 s). Most users enter and leave the site via Learn pages (enter: n=6908, 89.77%; exit: n=5740, 74.6%).

Conclusion

New, robust analytical tools revealed that users preferred learning to intervention on this website. Such analyses provide insights for optimising websites to meet user needs while effectively delivering evidence-based information.
Road safety and security on African roads, Nigeria road as a case study
Authors: Osawe E P , Osawe G
Published: March 2011

The paper attempts to look into the causes of road crashes leading to deaths on African roads with Nigeria as a case study. These roads falls along the major highway linking the Southern Seaports with the Northern part of the country and been listed as one of the 23 most dangerous roads in the world. The paper also enumerates and explains causes of crashes and insecurities on the road. It also looks at the establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as the Federal Government lead agency and its resolve to reduce the occurrence of road traffic crashes and its severity through the use of the 6Es intervention strategies approach. The road factor remains an important issue in road safety/security in addition to Environmental and Mechanical factors.

It was shown that with the solution proffered below about 25% reduction in crashes with better security have been achieved through:

Provision of heavy duty recovery and tow vehicles, patrol vehicles, ambulances.

Funding of aggressive public enlightenment campaigns, establishment of standard driving schools to train drivers.

Standardization of the country's vehicle licensing.

FRSC has a 6-point approach to the problem called 6Es: Engineering, Enlightenment, Environment, Education, Enforcement, Evaluation.

Methodology of study

The study entails the administration of questionnaires, diagnostic interview and data analysis.

This case study highlights problems and solutions to road crashes in Nigeria which led to at least a 13% reduction of crash casualty records in the country.
Fatal home and leisure injuries in France, 2000–2006
Authors: Lasbeur L , Thelot B , Jougla E , Pavillon G
Published: March 2011

Objective

To measure and characterise deaths due to home and leisure injuries in France (63 million inhabitants) from 2000 to 2006.

Method

The data come from death certificates, collected exhaustively. Causes of death are coded by using the external causes of injury codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. The results are expressed in numbers, crude death rates, and age-adjusted death rates.

Results

In 2006, 18 549 deaths due to home and leisure injuries occurred in France, that is, an age-adjusted death rate of 25.2/100 000. This death rate was 1.7 times higher for males than that for females: 32.2/100 000 versus 19.4/100 000. They are largely different with age: from a minimum of 1.3 among children aged 5–14 (99 deaths), to a maximum of 584 up to 85 years (7327 deaths). Three fourths of home and leisure injuries deaths occurred up to 65 years (13 950 deaths), among which 57% were due to falls. The leading causes of deaths were: falls, 11.9/100 000; suffocations, 3.8; drowning, 1.6; poisoning, 1.5; fire accidents, 0.7. Between 2000–2002 and 2004–2006, the age-adjusted death rate decreased by 11%. This decrease was the highest for people under 15 years of age, 24%. Up to 65 years, the decrease was 13% (minus 1358 deaths).

Conclusion

In spite of the decrease between 2000 and 2006, home and leisure injuries remain a significant cause of death in France. Most of these deaths could be avoided with adapted prevention and regulation measures.
A specific survey on mortality by home and leisure injuries among children under 15 years in France: a feasibility survey
Authors: Lasbeur L , Laurent F , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Background

In France, fatal home and leisure injuries represent the first cause of death of people under 15 years of age: 266 deaths in 2006, according to the national data of mortality.

Objective

To determinate the risks factors of fatal home and leisure injuries and increase the knowledge conditions of these deaths.

Method

A specific survey mortality by home and leisure injuries among children under 15 was set up, which collected all deaths in an area of 20 million inhabitants (out of 63 million in France) from 1 January to 31 December 2009. These deaths were identified in the death certificates, with the help of the social security, medical doctors, firemen, press review. A questionnaire was sent to medical certifiers who had information about the injury, like product, activity, place, mechanism, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of victims.

Results

Preliminary results, on 30 September, showed a similar distribution with national data by cause of death: 67 children under 15 years died, among them by drowning (19), fire (12), falls (12), suffocations (11). Boys were more often victims than girls (sex-ratio=1.5); half of these children died on the place of accident. Detailed information was collected on the precise circumstances of each injury, like the involved person, the lack of surveillance, badly used or dangerous products, etc.

Conclusion

This survey is an original attempt to obtain precise information on fatal home and leisure injuries among children. This survey will lead to propositions to collect more information via death certificates.
Epidemiological surveillance of drownings: a national survey in France, 1 June–30 September 2009
Authors: Lasbeur L , Girard D , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Objective

To describe the characteristics and the risk factors of unintentional drowning in France, and to contribute to their prevention.

Method

A prospective survey was set up in the whole country from June to September 2009. All unintentional drownings were recorded, once followed by hospitalization or death.

Results

This survey recorded 1366 drownings, among them 462 (34%) were followed by death. Children under 6 years represented 14% (197, thereof 39 deaths); adults over 45 years accounted for 41% (566, thereof 257 deaths).

The distribution by drowning place was the following: 186 drownings in private swimming pools (48 followed by death), 53 in public swimming pools (6 deaths), 151 in streams (97 deaths), 144 in lakes (96 deaths), 781 in sea water (187 deaths) and 51 in other places (28 deaths). Demographic characteristics of the victims and circumstances of drowning depended on the place of drowning. In private swimming pools, children under 6 years of age mainly drowned due to the lack of parental surveillance and swimming ability. In streams and lakes, drowning was more frequent among adults after a fall, or when engaged in solitary activities, or after having consumed alcohol. In sea water, many victims were tourists over 45 years with a health problem.

Conclusion

These results lead to conclude that specific prevention messages should be strengthened: careful surveillance of young children; learning to swim the earliest possible; swimming in supervised areas; not overestimating ones physical capabilities; inquiring about the state of the sea and the meteorological conditions.
Moving from evidence to action: prioritisation of pediatric injury issues for focused injury prevention programming
Authors: Charyk-Stewart T , Polgar D , Parry N , Girotti M J
Published: March 2011

Objective

To develop a prioritised, evidence-informed list of pediatric injury issues to be addressed through injury prevention initiatives.

Method

A quantitative review of trauma data with qualitative stakeholder discussions. Data representing all levels of severity from ED visits to deaths were reviewed and ranked by age (<1, 1–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, 15–17 years). Specific topics for each of the top issues (MVC, recreational, falls, intentional, drowning and other) were discussed based on qualitative criteria (ie, effectiveness, opportunity gaps) and individually scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The sum of these scores was ranked. This qualitative rank was added with the quantitative rank from the data to determine the overall ranking, with the lowest rank sum as the top priority.

Results

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) was ranked as the top priority. The top five ranking injury issues are presented in Table 1.

Overall RankTopicAge group (year)Quant Rank +Qual Rank =Rank Sum1SBS<12132Bullying5–17 yrs3252Drugs & Driving15–171452MVC & Speeding15–171455Suicide10–17437

Other issues included ATV safety, playground and farm injuries.

Conclusion

With competing demands and limited resources, this method utilises data and stakeholder input to decide where to focus efforts. It allowed us to move from evidence to action, by implementing and evaluating new programs including SBS-prevention and unsafe driving programs.
The new trend of risky groups on all roads in Thailand, 2009
Authors: Waiyanate N , Taekarthonk T
Published: March 2011

The retrospective self-report survey on the behavioural of teenagers students. It was desirable to interview rider as soon as possible after they have an experience to motorcycle use. The study collected some information's about the amount and variety of learning process, riding experience before during and after licensing process, experience in accident and injuries.

Findings

Totally, 1238 students 58.35% male. The minimum age of the first riding is 7 years old. The mean of age in the first riding group is 12.86 years old and 75% of them training rider skill on all roads. The normal rider age less than 15 years old use motorcycle in daily lives and most of them without motorcycle license. The traffic knowledge in normal school isn't available no pattern of course. The patterns of riding skill 56.9 % learn by their parents 35.8% learn by themselves 4.8% learn by friends 2.65% learn by professionals from driving school. The experience in accident and injury are smallest in rider who learns by professionals in a safety driving school. The first training is significant that associate with the motorcycle rider behaviour. Who learn by themselves or by their friends which the first training age less than 15 years old are a risky group in both male and female rider.

Conclusion

The government should pay more attention to develop the process of a safety rider skill. Safety driving school should be a compulsory program for the first rider.
Effect of a lockout of professional ice hockey players on injuries among minor league players
Authors: Keays G , Pless I B , Goulet C
Published: March 2011

Objective

Based on the assumption that professional hockey is violent and that this influences the behaviour of children viewing it on TV, we investigated whether the absence of televised National Hockey League ice hockey games during a 1-year lockout reduced the rate of injuries of minor league hockey players in Canada.

Methods

This natural experiment enabled us to use a quasi-experimental design to compare injuries suffered during the NHL lockout year with those in the seasons before and after. Data regarding the injuries came from a Canadian injury surveillance program (CHIRPP) while denominators, total numbers of registered players, came from Hockey Canada.

Results

During the prelockout year the number and rates of injuries were as follows: 2153 (7.1, 95% CI 6.8 to 7.4, per 1000); during the lockout season they were 2215 (7.4, 95% CI 7.1 to 7.7, per 1000); and during the following year they were 2262 (7.0, 95% CI 6.7 to 7.3, per 1000). There were more severe injuries (concussions or fractures of long bones) and more injuries due to penalised acts during the NHL lockout year but the differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that children are not influenced by viewing professional hockey. It may even be the case that when young players are not exposed to the consequences of aggressive play resulting in severe injuries etc. they become less fearful and more aggressive.
Drinking and driving, and alcohol drinking patterns in Argentinean drivers
Authors: Peltzer R , Cremonte M , Ubeda C , Ledesma R
Published: March 2011

One of the most important human risk factors for road traffic crashes is alcohol consumption. The relationship between acute alcohol consumption and road traffic crashes has been much studied, nevertheless, less is known about the relationship between chronic consumption and accident involvement. The objective of this study is to characterise Argentinean drivers according to their alcohol drinking pattern, tendency to drink and drive, alcohol-related problems, involvement in road traffic crashes, age and gender.

Methods

Data were collected from a casual sample of Argentinean drivers. The data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire evaluating: age, sex, involvement in road traffic crashes – last 12 months –, usual drinking pattern and alcohol problems – Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS4)-. A factorial analysis of principal components and mixed classification analysis were performed. Active variables were usual quantity and frequency of drinking, and beverage preferred, all the other variables were taken as illustrative.

Results

The occasional intake of low quantities, mainly of wine, was associated to being a female and to avoid drinking and driving. The weekly intake of high quantities, mainly beer, was associated to being young and to tend to drink and drive. Abstainers tended to be female who have not had an road traffic crashes.

Conclusion

A empiric typology of drivers was created according to their alcohol drinking pattern. These patterns were studied in relation to other associated factors. This characterisation contributes to the understanding of human factors in Traffic Safety and to future developments in Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention in Argentina.
Epidemiology of hospitalised burns patients in France
Authors: Rigou A , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Background

Burns affect approximately 500 000 persons each year in France (65 million inhabitants). At the national level, this issue is poorly investigated, although previous studies have been performed at a local level.

Objective

To determine demographic characteristics, incidence and risk factors of hospitalised burned patients for the whole country.

Method

The 2008 data from the French Hospital Information System were analyzed, for all patients hospitalised for burns.

Results

A total of 12 778 hospitalisations for burns was registered in 2008. The majority of hospitalised patients (63%) were male, and the age distribution showed peaks occurring in the 0–4 and 20–49 age groups (33% each group). The mean age was 27 years. In 41% of cases, patients were hospitalised in specialized Burns Units. Smoke inhalation, a total burn surface area over 30%, and third-degree burns accounted for 13% of all hospitalisations. There were some seasonal variations in hospital admissions: burns were more frequent during summer (28%). The average length of hospital stay was 7.5 days. The overall annual rate of burns admission was 14.5/100 000, and showed geographical differences: admissions were more frequent in the North-East than in other parts of the country. One-hundred-ninety-four patients died, representing a lethality rate of 1.5%.

Conclusion

This study is an example of the epidemiological usefulness of administrative hospitalisation data describing the characteristics of burned patients. Prevention measures for reducing the risk of burn injuries are required, especially for parents with young children.
Accompanied driving from age 17 practical feasibility of a new scheme for young drivers in Germany
Authors: Funk W
Published: March 2011

Results from the process evaluation of a pilot scheme conducted throughout Germany will be presented. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine how teenage novice drivers and the persons accompanying them handle accompanied driving in their daily lives. 3780 teenagers were interviewed (online or by paper-pencil) up to four times throughout the pilot scheme, that is, from starting accompanied driving to obtaining a regular driving licence at the age of 18. 1735 persons accompanying the novice drivers were also questioned once. The participants obtained their driving licence 5 months after their 17th birthday on average. The teenagers key motivation was their wish to drive a car as early as possible. Safety and practical aspects also played a major role. Most novice drivers were accompanied by their parents. Their main motives were to help the children get started driving, practical aspects and safety considerations. On days with accompanied driving, the participants average daily median mileage was 24.0 km (arithmetic mean: 32.4 km). On average, all participants covered a projected monthly mileage of 318.5 km (median value: 260.4 km). For novice drivers participating in the study over the entire maximum accompanied-driving phase, the projected 12-month mileage was approximately 3800 km. To further explore the exposure while participating in the pilot scheme, indicators for the novice drivers trip duration will be presented. Information on the subjective perception of the increase in driving experience in the accompanied driving period will be presented. Conclusions for further improvements in the model will be drawn.
Unintentional paediatric falls from heights in France: epidemiology and prevention
Authors: Rigou A , Meyer P , Girard D , Jousset N , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Background

Unintentional paediatric falls from heights represent a longstanding public health problem, particularly in industrialised countries.

Objective

To determine incidence rates and epidemiological risk factors of unintentional paediatric falls from heights in France. To help prevent these injuries.

Method

An epidemiological survey was carried out in the Paris region (11.5 million inhabitants). It collected all unintentional falls from heights among children under 15 years of age (2.2 million) from 15 March to 15 October 2006. An organisation involved in epidemiological surveillance and prevention strategy was set up, including epidemiologists, medical doctors, sociologists and experts in regulation.

Results

Sixty-four unintentional falls from heights were registered; 67% were children under 6 years of age, and 59% were male. In most of cases, young children fell due to lack of surveillance from adults. An item of furniture was located under the window or was moved to this area by the child in 42% of cases. Seven children (11%) died, and 11 children (17%) suffered from sequelae. A prevention campaign based on posters was initiated to alert parents on the risks of such injuries. Detailed recommendations concerning the evolution of equipments were published, and information on the risk and the severity of these injuries. A follow-up was set up under the auspice of the Ministry of Health.

Conclusion

The epidemiological results led to issuing adapted prevention messages, and contributed to recommend regulation strategies, in order to decrease these injuries in France. In 2011 an epidemiological survey will contribute to assess the effectiveness of prevention.
An epidemiological multicenter survey on dog bites in France between May 2009 and April 2010
Authors: Ricard C , Sarcey G , Servas V , Beata C , Chevallier B , le Touze A , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Background

Each year, dog bites account for several thousands emergency visits in France and numerous hospitalisations. Their consequences in terms of injuries are more severe among children than adults. There are relatively few surveys on dog bites in France.

Objective

To establish the link between the severity of the lesions resulting from dog bites and the characteristics of the biting dogs.

Method

An epidemiological interdisciplinary survey was set up on 1 May 2009, with the participation of epidemiologists, medical doctors and veterinarians specialised in dog behaviour. It is implemented in emergency departments of eight voluntary hospitals, where medical data are collected during 1 year, supplemented by veterinary data collected by phone on the characteristics of the dog and the attack. Preliminary results: From May to August 2009, 193 dog bites were reported. Children under 15 years represented 35% of the victims. Open wounds were superficial in 60% of the lesions, often located on the upper extremities (56%). The lesions of the head were 2.2 more frequent among the children under 10 years of age than among other victims. Nearly half (45%) of those who responded to the follow-up questionnaire reported sequelae one month after the bite. Most of them (85%) were esthetical. The most severe lesions were not always committed by big dogs.

Perspectives

The final results of this survey will provide a better understanding of the risk factors of the bites depending on the dog and human behaviours, and lead to adapt prevention actions.
Estimation incidence rates of home and leisure Injuries from data at the emergency departments in France
Authors: Ricard C , Tondeur L , Bonaldi C , Thelot B
Published: March 2011

Background

The knowledge of the national number of victims of home and leisure injuries is a first step to quantify their importance and to develop preventive actions.

Objective

To estimate incidence rates of emergency visits due to home and leisure injuries among persons aged 15 years and above in France in 2006.

Method

A Poisson mixed model was used to estimate the ratio between the number of emergency visits due to home and leisure injuries and the number of hospitalisations for injury. The number of emergency visits was obtained from emergency data of unintentional injuries collected in the hospitals of five French cities. The number of hospitalisations was available in national hospital administrative databases.

Results

The national extrapolation of the ratio was used to estimate the number of people over 15 years injured by at least one home and leisure injuries in 2006 to 2.7 million (95% CI 2.0 to 3.3). This corresponds to an incidence rate of 5.3 (3.9 to 6.7) per 100 persons-year, 5.9 for men (4.3 to 7.4), and 4.8 for women (3.6 to 6.1).

Conclusion

These estimations are close to those obtained from cross-sectional surveys and show the importance of the home and leisure injuries as a public health issue. This method is an interesting solution to obtain national estimations of the number of injuries by the use of the relationship between local specific data and national administrative data. It could be tested with other variables and for several years.
A framework for geocoding traffic collision data
Authors: Bigham J M , Rice T M
Published: March 2011

Background

Collision geocoding is the process of assigning latitude and longitude coordinates to a traffic collision record. In California and most other US states, collision location is recorded on police reports relative to highway postmile markers or street intersections. In other developed counties, collision location is recorded using intersection, postmile, postal address, or parcel lot. In a recently completed study we geocoded police-reported, fatal and severe injury collisions in California for years 1997–2006.

Objective

In this presentation we present an overview of our geocoding processes and a geocoding framework that can be used in other jurisdictions.

Results

We identified 142 007 collisions in a California-wide collision database. Geocoding was completed using several discrete steps. Perl, a general-purpose programming language, was used to standardise street name information. A highway network with postmile values was created in a semiautomated process using a custom Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) tools. Intersection and address geocoding was performed using ArcGIS, StreetMap Pro 2003 digital street network, and Google Earth Pro. VBA was used to incorporate offset direction and distance. The geocoding match rate was 99.8% for postmile-coded collisions and 86% for intersection-coded collisions (91% overall).

Conclusions

Our framework for geocoding collision data can be applied to data from a variety of settings. Geocoded collision data allow better visualisation of collision occurrence and can facilitate studies of environmental, land use and social characteristics, for which data must be geographically linked.
Surveillance of burn injuries caused by pyrotechnic products attended in Health Establishments network in El Salvador, since November 01st 2008 to January 06th, 2009.
Authors: Silvia G
Published: March 2011

Objective

To describe characteristics per person, time and place assisted due to injuries caused by pyrotechnic products in the National Network of Establishments of Health, El Salvador, since November 1st 2008 to January 06th 2009.

Material and methods

Revision of database of assisted patients with injuries caused by pyrotechnic products, starting 1 November 2008 to 6 January 2009. Data base and analysis were done in epi info 2002.

Analysed variables

Diagnostic, sex, age, department, municipality, area of residence, date of burn, time of burn, circumstance of burn, type of gunpowder, who caused the burn, with whom was the person at time of the burn, anatomical place, among others.

Results

There were 194 patients injured, 63% were assisted in the Network of Hospitals, being the main dates: 24th, 25th, 31st of December and 01st of January. The most affected departments: San Salvador, Santa Ana, Cuscatln and San Vicente; 62, 8% from 5 to 19 years of age. 80,9% male. 77.8% they were lighting gunpowder. 71.6%, the injuries were caused by the people lighting up the pyrotechnic products. Most affected anatomical places: Hands, face and eyes. 22.7% presented complications. 57.2% they had ambulatory first. Total estimated cost: $136 685.

Discussion and conclusions

The injuries by pyrotechnic products are a problem of public health, that affects mainly children and youngsters, because of lighting up gunpowder, between the 18:01 and 24:00 h, affecting them mainly their hands, face and eyes, that some times will have further complications that will affect their entire life.
The introduction of booster seat legislation in Canada: is it working?
Authors: Howard A. , Rothman L. , Lee P.
Published: March 2011

Background

Booster seat legislation may decrease the burden of motor vehicle occupant injury in children 4–9 years old.

Methods

We examined rates of hospitalisations for motor vehicle (MV) occupant-related injuries, seatbelt-related injuries and MV occupant-related fatalities in Canadian children, comparing provinces with legislation (Ontario 2005, Quebec 2003) to those without. Hospital discharge data was obtained for 1994–2005 from the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) and the Hospital Morbidity Database (HMDB). Death data was obtained from the Traffic Accident Information Database (TRAID). Population based injury and death rate ratios were calculated and changes from 1994 to 2005 were determined.

Results

There were a total of 3920 MV occupant-related hospitalisations and 358 MV occupant-related fatalities in Canadian children aged 4–9. In 2005, after legislation, Ontario had a significantly lower rate of hospitalisation for MV occupant-related injuries (RR=0.49 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.63)). Rates of hospitalisations and fatalities declined from 1994 to 2005 across all provinces regardless of legislation status. Ontario had significantly higher rate reductions and a consistently lower annual rate of MV occupant-related hospitalisations than other provinces. Injury and death rates were higher in Quebec and increased after legislation was introduced.

Discussion

Results indicate heterogeneity between the two provinces with booster seat legislation. The simple presence of booster seat legislation is not sufficient to decrease the burden of motor vehicle occupant injuries.
Environmental risk factors for injuries in UK primary school aged children
Authors: Mytton J , Towner E , Gray S , Emond A , Pollock J
Published: March 2011

Aim

Factors previously associated with the risk of unintentional injury in primary school aged children include a range of child and family variables. Risk factors in the environment have been seldom studied in this age group and their relative contribution to overall injury risk is unclear.

Methods

Avon longitudinal study of pregnancy and childhood is a large, population-based longitudinal birth cohort study in Avon, England. It recruited mothers during their pregnancy and 14 602 children in the cohort were born in 1991–1992. We investigated the association of parentally reported injury data from 5752 children collected at 5, 6, 8 and 11 years of age with a range of potential risk factors using multivariable analysis with multiple imputation of missing data.

Results

Using a hierarchical conceptual framework for modelling childhood injury risk, a greater number of factors related to the child's immediate environment (eg, home) were associated with an increased risk of injury than factors in the wider environment (eg, neighbourhood). Environmental factors showed weaker evidence against the null hypothesis of no association with injury than family or child factors. The relative contribution of environmental factors varied with age of the child. Comparisons with previous research will be made.

Conclusions

This research provides robust evidence of the relative contribution of risk factors for unintentional injuries in primary school aged children in the UK. This is of value to inform the development of targeted interventions to prevent unintentional injuries in these children.
EMS management systems for the traffic injury patients at the scene when events overlap
Authors: Wangsri K
Published: March 2011

Background

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) at Srinagarind Hospital consists of mobile teams that attend traffic accidents and provide emergency care at the scene. The hospital has decided to train additional members of the nursing staff so that they can be called upon to attend traffic accidents when the EMS teams are already employed elsewhere. This study aims to: ensure that traffic injury patients receive appropriate care at the scene when the EMS teams are already employed elsewhere, by providing selected Accident and Emergency (AE) department nursing staff to provide this care.

Approach

Analysis of emergency medical services activities over the past 2 years. Develop protocols on how the AE department should respond when EMS team is unavailable. Provide AE department staff with the knowledge needed to work as an emergency medical services team. Design and implement an appropriate management information system for monitoring and evaluation of AE department staff activities when working as an EMS team. Evaluate and report the outcomes of this project.

Results

The AE department has developed protocols on how to respond to EMS call outs when the regular team is unavailable – 80% of EMS teams are able to leave the hospital within 2 min of being called out. EMS staff rated their performance at 89.81% satisfactory. (n=9) – users of EMS services rated the service at 74.07% satisfactory. (n=150)

Recommendation

Their must be ongoing staff training and development activities to increase the proportion of teams that can respond to being called out within 2 min.