bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The FARE: a new way to express falls risk among older persons including physical activity as a measure of exposure
Authors: Wijlhuizen G Jan , Chorus A M J , Hopman-Rock M
Published: March 2011

Objectives

Common expressions of falls risk do not include exposure to hazards. We compared two expressions: the commonly used population incidence (fallers per 1000 person-years) and the FARE (FAlls Risk by Exposure): the number of fallers per 1000 physically active person-days.

Methods

Prospective follow-up study among community dwelling older persons (N=771) aged between 71 and 96 years in the Netherlands, 2005. Baseline data on age, gender, disabilities (vision, mobility) and number of days per week with minimally 30 min of physical activity were collected. Falls were registered monthly. Falls risk was expressed as the number of falls per 1000 person-years and as the FARE. A balance control difficulty score was based on the sumscore of 11 disability items.

Results

Increased difficulty controlling balance was linearly associated with reduced exposure to risky situations (Spearman correlation coefficient= −0.56) and to an increased falls risk per 1000 person-years. In contrast, the FARE score increased exponentially, which is more indicative of the real risk people face, taking into account their activity restriction.

Conclusions

The FARE is recommended for use in public health policy and research on falls prevention because it takes into account reduced physical activity of older persons who experience increased difficulty controlling their balance.
The utility of provincial injury surveillance information and the achievement policy to empowerment and set partner-ship for road safety in the students
Authors: Meekhauwd W
Published: March 2011

Title

The utility of provincial injury surveillance information and the achievement policy to Empowerment and set partnership for road safety in the students, A case study from Nakhonsrithamarat Province, south of Thailand.

Problem under study

During 2001–2009, each year 150 students who age between 15 and 20 years old were injured and killed by motorcycle injury. Head injury is the main cause of mobility and mortality. Rate of helmet use is less than 20% (Nakhonsrithamarat provincial surveillance injury, 2001–2009) and inefficient Law enforcement.

Objective

To propose the Injury Surveillance data for Nakhonsithammarat municipality and Nakhonsithammarat Provincial Government to achieve appropriate policy and an effective management for stopping the causes.

Results

MOU 14 items between the governor and schools; Pilot project in 14 schools; Maung District; Nakhonsrithamarat Province : partnership for road safety in the students, agreement from Governor and Private sector with 5 E strategy.

Conclusion

For road safety. multidisciplinary such as: education, enforcement, engineering, evaluation, Employee Management Services and empowerment from governor and private sector is necessary to give effect to be the public policy.
Parental supervision of school-age children at home: “I think he is in his room playing a video game”
Authors: Morrongiello B A , Read A , Zdzieborski D
Published: March 2011

Background

Recent research reveals that care giver supervision is a critical determinant of childhood injury. In virtually all of this research, however, the focus has been limited to care givers of preschool children (<6 years). Little is known about how care givers supervise school-age children, what factors influence supervision practices, and how supervision relates to children's risk of injury. The present study addressed these gaps in knowledge.

Objectives

Using a prospective design this study examined school-age children's supervision and relations between supervision and injury.

Methods

Mothers reported on school-age children's history of injuries and recorded home supervision over a 2-month interval. The children independently completed diaries about daily events that included injuries. Relations between supervision and both parent permissiveness and children's propensity to risk take were examined.

Results

Children spent 24% of time alone, mostly supervised intermittently or not at all. Parent permissiveness was associated with increased time unsupervised, while children's risk taking propensity was associated with decreased time unsupervised. Extent of direct supervision served a protective function associated with fewer injuries, while extent of indirect- and non-supervision time emerged as risk factors for injury.

Conclusions

These findings reveal that care giver supervision influences risk of injury across a broad age range throughout childhood. Implications for children's safety are discussed.
Development and validation of an objective checklist for assessing the safety condition of natural turf sports surfaces
Authors: Finch C F , Twomey D
Published: March 2011

Sports played on outdoor grass spaces are threatened by the potential impact of climatic changes on injury risk associated with factors such as increased ground hardness and poor grass coverage. Unfortunately, formal, validated criteria for assessing ground conditions for player safety, other than the presence of hazards, are not available. Notwithstanding this, sports safety policy makers and ground managers need to make evidence-informed decisions about ground closure. Although the use of observational safety checklists to assess the presence of physical hazards and ground conditions is widespread, they have not been formally evaluated. This talk presents the development and validation of an observational checklist, the Good Practice Sports Grounds Inspection Form (GPSGIF). An initial version of the GPSGIF, drawn from current best practice and available evidence, assessed factors including ground hardness, hazards, grass coverage and traction. An initial evaluation through 31 assessments across nine community football grounds on different dates during the 2007 playing season led to refinement of the GPSGIF. The revised GPSGIF was re-tested in 2008 and the impact of both ground standard and formal training of assessors on GPSGIF reliability determined through assessments of four grounds on three dates by six observers. The final GPSGIF had good-excellent reliability for all factors, except traction, and could be used as a screening tool for ground assessments when expensive testing equipment is neither available nor needed. Ground safety assessors with formal training in GPSGIF use reach more consensus safety decisions about sports ground safety than untrained assessors.
An epidemiological investigation and analysis on its influence factors of campus violence on secondary schools in China
Authors: Chi G , Chen H , Wang S
Published: March 2011

Objective

To explore the incidence and influence factors of campus violence in secondary school by the epidemiological investigation.

Methods

Secondary students in Guangzhou city were selected to participate in the study and were interviewed with questionnaires by the cluster sample. Logistic regression was used for data analysis.

Results

In the past 1 year, the incidence rate of campus violence was 40.8% in 1064 secondary students, 49.7% of the male and 29.6% of the female, respectively, there were statistical differences between that of males and females (χ2=43.75, p=0.000). The incidence rate of campus violence of the junior and senior students had statistical differences (χ2=25.25, p=0.000). Among Secondary students who were victims of campus violence, smoking, visiting resort, suffer from family violence, loafing, lack of pocket money and higher education of his mother were the influence factors (OR were 3.83, 2.05, 1.93, 1.60, 1.35, 1.20), and who were perpetrators of campus violence, their influence factors were truancy, smoking, loafing, normal behaviour who think bully, bad family relation and higher education of his mother (OR were 3.32, 2.61, 2.22, 2.06, 1.27, 1.23).

Conclusions

Violence among secondary school students in Guangzhou city was serious, effective measure must be taken by the school and society.
The effectiveness of a firefighter burn injury awareness program
Authors: Woods J , Hollowed K , Pavlovich A , Shupp J
Published: March 2011

A burn-related injury to a firefighter can result in a few weeks of missed duty, can require months of complex care at a burn center, and can also result in the end of a career. The greater Washington, DC metropolitan area has approximately 13 000 career and volunteer firefighters. The Burn Center at Washington Hospital Center, which serves the metropolitan region, reported treating 108 firefighter burn injuries in 2008. Through a partnership with the District of Columbia Fire Department and The Burn Center at Washington Hospital Center, the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation (DCFFBF) developed a Firefighter Burn Injury Awareness Course. This course is divided into two sections. The first part of the course covers information related to potential occupational hazards. Topics such as limitations of firefighter PPE, building construction, fire behaviour, hose streams, ventilation and the importance of proper training are discussed. This portion of the program also includes a section on burn injuries and utilises case studies of firefighters injured on the job. The second part of this course is taught from a medical perspective and stresses the seriousness of a burn injury. A burn professional details the painstaking journey from the time of injury, through surgery and treatment and on to rehabilitation and reconstruction. This comprehensive program was delivered to all 2400 uniformed members of the DCFD over a one-month period. Since implementation of this program, there has been a 20% decrease in firefighter burn injuries.
Reinventing the organisation to effectively manage safety performance
Authors: Furst P G
Published: March 2011

Presentation objectives

Understand the performance barriers created by some of the myths and wrongheaded beliefs practiced in safety.

Acknowledge the impact on performance resulting from silos, system misalignment and process design.

Appreciate the affect of decision making and human error and metrics on performance.

Create a business driven, organisational aligning and stakeholder focused excellence fostering framework.

This is a 21st century, excellence driven, business focused approach to addressing challenges in the safety management process. We will start with an understanding of myths in safety that hinder performance. Organisational systems, structure and silos that create barriers to excellence. Decisions making and human errors that adversely influence safety outcomes. We will start by devising a vision and goals for excellence, Discuss the effects of leadership, win / win thinking, empathic communication, & continuous improvement, which are the basic principles that aligned with sound business practices will create the basis for a highly effective approach to managing the safety process. Attendee will take away a deeper understanding of core drivers of loss as well as tools & techniques to utilise upon returning to their firms so as to create a culture and environment that fosters preventions and sustains excellence.
Hate violence: emergency department perspective
Authors: Sivarajasingam V , Read S , Svobodova M , Wight L , Shepherd J
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status and potential of Emergency Department (ED) data for identifying and preventing hate violence.

Methods

Face-to-face interviews with patients attending three EDs in England and Wales (Blackburn, Cardiff and Leicester) with injuries sustained in violence were undertaken; 120 semistructured interviews, 40 in each centre. Interviews were also conducted with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership/Community Safety Partnership members and ED staff to evaluate violence data sharing protocols. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and uploaded onto QSR Internationals NVivo 8 software for analysis.

Results

The 124 respondents comprised 99 men (79.8%) and 25 women (20.2%); 55 were aged 16–24 years (44.4%). The ethnic group most often represented were White British, English, Irish or Scottish (103 respondents; 83.0%). Altogether, there were eight definite cases of hate violence, accounting for 6.5% of all assaults. Seven of these were racially and religiously aggravated (5.6% of all assaults), while one (0.9%) was aggravated by sexual orientation. Alcohol consumption was a contributing factor in 75% of hate violence. In two of the three centres studied, ED violence data were not being utilised for violence prevention.

Conclusions

From these findings, alcohol intoxication promotes hate violence. Although EDs are a valuable source of information about this problem routine collection of the relevant data is not practical, reflecting the need for substantial time and qualitative interview skills which are not available in EDs.
Prevalence and nature of violence against women
Authors: Khan M E
Published: March 2011

Violence against women (VAW), particularly by husbands is common in Bangladesh. The nature of violence ranges from scolding to severe beating, forced sex and in extreme cases murder. The paper highlights prevalence, nature and intensity of such violence and its determinants. Qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to answer the questions. It includes 240 in-depth interviews (168 of women 72 of men) and sample survey of 3900 married women, and 1600 men spread over three districts of Bangladesh. The study shows frequent violence against women. Gender inequality, economic dependence of women on their husband and patriarchal system reinforce each other to perpetuate and promote violence against women. Unreasonable sexual demand by husbands, suspicion of extra marital relationship by either partners, perceived neglect of husband by wife and continued demand for dowry are dominant reasons for the conflict leading to different forms of VAW. The patriarchal system and prevailing gender inequality have conditioned women's mentality to the extent that many women justified husband's beating and forced sex as their right. What hurt them most is insult in presence of others than beating by husbands behind closed door. Working women at the initial stage of their life had faced more violence than non working, perhaps because they challenged established gender role. The provides estimate of level of VAW in Bangladesh and clues that could be used for community education and consensus building against perpetuation of VAW.
The utility for identification of best available evidence of a register of controlled studies that evaluate interventions to prevent alcohol-impaired driving
Authors: Goss C , Roberts I , DiGuiseppi C
Published: March 2011

Objective

To evaluate whether a register of controlled studies can facilitate the conduct of systematic reviews.

Methods

We searched 11 bibliographic databases, contacted 97 government agencies, and hand searched conference proceedings to identify randomised, quasi-randomised, controlled before-after and interrupted time series studies of interventions to prevent alcohol-impaired driving. We tested the register's utility against three published reviews. We first searched the register for the 22 review citations that had eligible study designs, matching exact citations or related/follow-up studies. We then screened 764 unmatched register citations for studies not cited in the reviews, examining full-text reports to determine eligibility based on the reviews' inclusion criteria. We assessed the register's comprehensiveness (proportion of review citations found in the register), added value (additional eligible studies identified), and utility for updates (identification of eligible studies completed since the reviews were conducted).

Results

The register included 16/22 (73%) review citations: 100% for designated-driver programs, 73% for school-based programs and 60% for mass media campaigns. It included 15/18 (83%) journal articles but only 1/4 (25%) government/technical reports. The register yielded three eligible studies of school-based programs not previously cited, increasing the total identified, relevant studies by 14%, and four studies eligible for review updates. Quality assessments are ongoing.

Conclusion

A trial register can enhance systematic reviews of interventions to prevent alcohol-impaired driving by increasing identification of available evidence. However, additional effort is needed to identify government reports and other ‘gray literature.’ The register is regularly updated and accessible through the Cochrane Injury Group's specialised register.
Child and young person safety
Authors: Ijeoma I
Published: March 2011

Proper living entails that one should live and fulfil ones purpose in life.To achieve this one needs a condusive environment devoid of any danger capable of terminating life. A child from birth is helpless up to the point that to feed, clean up his body after a mess or even stay out of danger, needs assistance from grown ups until he gradually becomes independent and capable of doing certain things by himself. Safety is a very important factor in the up bringing of the children because after birth, a child lives and grows in a given environment. And to grow well, the child needs guidance and protection because the environment is laced with dangerous objects and it could be unsafe for any growing child. The house floor for instance, whether rough or smooth, the cutleries, breakable plates, gallon of kerosene, stove or gas cooker in the kitchen could be sources of danger. The table, chairs, drugs in the shelf, level of ventilation, electric appliances, uncovered soak-away pits, bad roads, improper rubbish disposal systems, exposing young ones to hawking etc. are all potential harzards capable of wounding or terminating life depending on how they are arranged, organised and managed. This study, therefore,tries to high-light the dangers most objects in the environment pose to children and young ones and how to manage them.
Evaluating road safety interventions: prerequisites for a multi-country approach
Authors: Hyder A A , Trujillo A , Bishai D , Puvanachandra P , Tran N , Chandran A , Ma S , Stevens K
Published: March 2011

This workshop focuses on the global road safety interventions project in 10 countries supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies. Key to the initiative is the demonstration that established interventions on road safety make a significant impact on public health. As a result, defining the epidemiology of road injuries, monitoring the implementation of programs, and assessing the impact of the programs in an objective and scientific manner will be critical for success. It is in this regard that three important functions have to be fulfilled: (1) defining baseline conditions: a prerequisite for demonstrating any change, a good baseline analysis of road traffic injuries in countries requires a multi-disciplinary review of multiple data sources and strengthening national data systems; (2) monitoring program rollout: continuous assessment of a program in terms of process indicators, and outputs to ensure that the operational elements were consistent with the planned program is needed to both identify challenges to implementation and ensure consistency; and (3) evaluating impact: overall assessment of the change in health, economic and social outcomes due to the implementation of road safety programs. This approach will have the strengths of: (1) development of a core set of methods for each function which are standardised across all road safety projects in all countries; (2) identification of a set of indicators which are scientifically valid and yet practical to measure at country-level for road safety evaluation; and (3) internal consistency across all elements of the evaluation while allowing for flexibility in country-specific approaches.
Old people falls' prevention
Authors: Dentizzi C , Cerio A , Colucci F , Praitano S , Ruccolo A , Staffolani M
Published: March 2011

Old people falls are very frequent and often cause fractures, with serious complications both from the physical aspect and from the quality of life. To prevent falls are efficacious several plans of physical exercise which combine strength and balance. For this reason the Unit Operativa Assistenza Anziani of Azienda Sanitaria Regionale del Molise has planned, for the service of the laboratory for psycho-physical health in the old person, a programme of physical exercise that is taught in clubs for old people and has involved more than 100 of them. Professional figures involved are a geriatrician, the social workers, a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a psychomotion therapist. Physical exercise is done twice a week in groups of 20–25 people each. By 6 months from the beginning of the physical exercise for old people, it was asked how many times they were fallen in the last 3 months: the 1% of old people said of being fallen more than once, the 3% at least once and none of these had suffered bony fractures. The same question has been asked to a group of old people, who had always attended associations or clubs but never their physical exercises programmes, and who where equal to the first one for age, sex body mass index, pathologies, medicines taken, economical and housing conditions. It proved that in the last month the 2% of old people of this group had fallen more than once, the 7% at least once and the 2% had bony fractures.
Why do children get bitten in the face?
Authors: Meints K , Syrnyk C , De Keuster T
Published: March 2011

The majority of dog bite accidents happen at home and involve children under the age of 7 (Kahnet al, 2003) and a familiar dog. The prevalence of bites in children is double as in the general population (Kahnet al2004) and often children suffer from dog bites resulting in facial injuries (Bernardoet al, 2002, Kahnet al, 2003; Schalamonet al, 2006). 55% children suffer post-traumatic stress disorder following a substantial bite (Peterset al, 2004). According to research these bites are independent of the size of the dog (Kahnet al, 2003), therefore it is unclear why young children get bitten mainly in the face and neck area. As often children's behaviour triggers bite injuries, we studied children's physical distance to an object and the role of smell and mobility of an object on children's facial proximity (leaning in) behaviour. We tested this with novel objects and toy animals in children aged 4, 5 and 6 years. Children showed intrusive facial proximity especially with moving items (eg, animates/ toy animals) or novel items. Children under the age of 5 years showed significantly more proximity behaviours than older children. In addition, we also gathered first evidence that children show clear leaning in behaviour with small animals. Thus, we can now make parents aware of younger children's intrusive inspection behaviour, integrate this knowledge in prevention messages and contribute to reduction in bite injuries, especially to children's faces.
Are falls related to socio-demographic variables: a systematic review
Authors: Todd C , Yardley L , Ben-Shlomo Y , Whitehead S , Kirby S , Gilbert R
Published: March 2011

Falls and fractures among older people are a major public health challenge. Surprisingly little is known about the association of falls with socioeconomic status and ethnicity. We undertook a systematic review to synthesis evidence on how socio-demographic variables relate to falls. We searched standard databases following Cochrane and UKCRD commendations.

Results

30 papers fulfilled inclusion criteria. There were considerable methodological differences, making direct comparison problematic and precluding meta-analysis of rates. A clear robust finding across all studies is that fall rates for both men and women increase with age. Typically age related odds ratios appear modest (1.03–1.05/annum) but this implies quite substantial changes in risk over 5 year period. Prevalence of falling is generally higher among women than men but evidence describing the relationship between socio-economic status and falls is scant. Using ecological measures the most robust studies suggest higher rates among the most deprived. Ethnicity is confounded with socio-economic and lifestyle differences (eg, rural vs urban dwelling groups). Nonetheless there are broad general trends to be found. There are differences in falls rates between ethnic groups living in the same societies for example, USA. However, it is less clear how ethnicity per se relates to falls. Caucasians living in USA have higher falls injury admission rates, than other groups but this may relate to access to services.

Conclusions

It is clear that we know little about the relationship between socio-demography and falls. Future studies need to use standardised methods to permit synthesis.
Injury surveillance system in Vietnam: achievements and challenges
Authors: Khieu T , Quynh Thi , Ngoc L Tran Thi
Published: March 2011

Vietnam is coping with an alarming increase of injury morbidity and mortality. Injury data is an indispensable component for developing and implementing prevention policies and programs. Injury information in the health sector is obtained through a regular system. This surveillance system has been conducted since 2003 aimed to examine injury causes in community quarterly, 6-monthly, 9-monthly and annually. At grass root level, injury cases are recorded by volunteers and then gathered at communal health station. Next, a report on injury situation of the commune is sent to district preventive health centre. At this level, statistics is synthesised and submitted to the provincial preventive medicine centre. At last, Ministry of Health is responsible for collecting reports from 64 provinces nationwide. Statistics indicates that in the first half of 2009, there were 497 611 injury cases. Among that, the number of deaths was 3492 which accounted for 0.7% of total of injuries and dropped 0.3% in compare with 2008. The morbidity and mortality in age group of 20–60 were highest with 62.9% and 70.8%, respectively. Road traffic accidents were the predominant cause of injuries with 39% of total cases. The surveillance system provides a great amount of valuable data for injury interventions conducting and safe community developing. Now 100% provinces implement the system, whereas there were a negligible number of provinces done it in 2003. However, there are still some gaps in the system such as inadequate and incorrect information, lack of staff and equipments.
Sexual victimisation and legal outcome by documentation of sperm and alcohol
Authors: Ingemann-Hansen O , Brink O
Published: March 2011

From a clinical forensic medicine point of view the trace evidence collected during the medical examination could have impact on the legal outcome. However, significant associations between successful prosecution and evidence of trauma, uses of weapons and severe coercion have been found, but inconsistently.

Objective

To ascertain the legal aspects of sexual violence and determine associations between conviction and the medical findings of sperm and alcohol intoxication. Method In total, 307 cases were reported to the police in a well-defined geographical area of Denmark during 1999–2004.

Results and Conclusion

Nineteen percent of all cases ended with sentencing of the defendant. Victims reported exposure to moderate/severe coercion in 20% of the cases and 46% reported consumption of alcohol prior to the assault. Sperm was detected in 35% of the examined cases. Injury documentation, intoxication and detection of sperm did not aid the prosecution. In 19% of cases, the forensic clinician did not find sperm detected later by the genetics laboratory. The correlation between self-reported and physician-estimated consumption showed disagreement regarding not reported drinking and estimated influence in 5%, and disagreement regarding reported drinking and estimated no influence in 34% of the cases. Disagreement with the physician-estimated intoxication and the toxicology report was found in 13% of the cases. The varying results of intoxication and sperm detection with missing association to conviction suggest sperm has poor sensitivity in predicting sexual assault. If medical examination should have impact on the legal outcome the examination protocol needs revision.
Occupational violence in the schools: a case-control study of physical assault against educators
Authors: Gerberich S G , Nachreiner N M , Ryan A D , Church T R , Mongin S J , McGovern P M , Geisser M S , Watt G D , Feda D M , Sage S K , Pinder E
Published: March 2011

Prior research has primarily focused on student-on-student school violence; yet, school educators are also at risk nationally and internationally. A two-phase study was designed to identify risk factors for assaults against educators (kindergarten-grade 12). Educators (n=26 000) were randomly selected from the Minnesota license database and screened for eligibility (6180, eligible) by mailed questionnaire. Phase I (12-month recall) identified eligible cases (n=290) and controls (n=867) and violent event characteristics; Phase II (case-control – 1-month recall prior to assault and randomly selected month, respectively) enabled identification of numerous exposures. Confounders were selected for multiple logistic regression analyses using directed acyclic graphs; reweighting adjusted for response and eligibility biases. For each study phase, response was 84%. Assault perpetrators were primarily students (95%). Risks (ORs; 95% CIs) increased for educators working in: special education (3.66, 2.46 to 5.44) and speech pathology (2.34, 1.08-5.10); urban (vs suburban) schools (1.96, 1.39 to 2.77); schools with <50 (4.33, 1.69 to 11.06) and 50–100 (1.89, 1.01 to 3.54) versus 500–1000 students; schools with inadequate resources (always/frequently vs sometimes: 1.89, 1.22 to 2.95), inadequate building safety (always and frequently vs sometimes: 6.34, 2.01 to 20.02 and 2.29, 1.14 to 4.61, respectively), soft light versus bright as daylight (1.40, 0.96-2.04) and with physical barriers (1.54, 1.10 to 2.15). Decreased risks were identified for having: routine locker searches (0.50, 0.29 to 0.86); school sizes 1000+ versus 500–1000 students (0.52, 0.33 to 0.80) and easily accessible exits (0.33, 0.16 to 0.67); and never (vs sometimes) having inadequate building safety (0.59, 0.37 to 0.94). Results suggest opportunities for targeted interventions and further research to decrease assault risk to educators with benefits to others in school environments.
Exploring social contexts at work and how they affect the safety of young construction workers
Authors: Rauscher K , Myers D , Schulman M , Runyan C
Published: March 2011

Background

The role of the social context is becoming more widely examined in workplace safety studies. We explored two aspects of the social environment of teens employed in construction. The presence of a family-firm connection (a youth works with or for a family member) and work group size (the total number of workers on a job site), believed to be inversely related to greater interpersonal contact with co-workers, were investigated for their potential impacts on working conditions including use of hazardous equipment, assignment of dangerous tasks, use of personal protective equipment, supervision and safety training.

Methods

Survey data from 187 teenage construction workers (14–17) in North Carolina, USA, were used to explore whether these aspects of the social environment affect youths' hazard exposures and safety practices. Cross-tabulations and χ2statistics were used to measure associations between work group size (≤10 vs 11–50 workers on the job site) and family-firm connections (yes/no) and hazard exposures and safety practices.

Results

Having a family-firm connection was associated with fewer hazard exposures and greater safety practices. Youth who worked on job sites with a larger work group (11–50 workers) reported greater hazard exposure but also greater safety practices.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that family-firm connections may have a protective effect for youth in construction. While there are limits to the significance of some of our findings with respect to work group size, the patterns found indicate that further research in this area is warranted.
Using mortuary data for estimating urban injury mortality incidence in Africa
Authors: Bhalla K , Abraham J , Harrison J , Bartolomeos K , Mtonga R , Abdella K
Published: March 2011

National vital registration systems that record causes of death do not exist in most African countries. This makes estimating incidence of mortality from injuries in African regions particularly challenging. We discuss the viability of using retrospective and prospective data gathered from death registration sites that issue death certificates for medicolegal purposes in four African cities (Lusaka, Zambia; Maputo, Mozambique; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Kampala, Uganda). We describe the flow of information in the form of administrative registers and documents maintained and issued by various institutions involved with deaths (including medical institutions, forensic, police and judicial investigation records, and funeral grounds and cemeteries). In each case, we show the implications of varying social, cultural and administrative record keeping practices and identify the most complete site for collecting cause-of-death information.

Next, we discuss methods for converting such data into reliable estimates of injury incidence. This requires addressing data quality issues, and estimating completeness and coverage of these data systems. We demonstrate how cause of death attribution can be improved in retrospective data gathering by following back a stratified sample of registered cases. For prospective data gathering, we recommend the adoption of a standardised surveillance instrument (currently being developed by WHO) for prospective data gathering. Finally, we demonstrate the method of estimating completeness and coverage by comparing recorded deaths with deaths predicted in the population using alternate sources.
Simple messages to prevent drowning in open water: guidelines from an International Task Force
Authors: Bennett E , Quan L , Moran K
Published: March 2011

Introduction

Globally, many organisations have attempted to prevent drowning associated with aquatic recreation by promoting a plethora of messages. This diversity reflects the multifaceted nature of the drowning problem and the lack of an evidence basis. Our objective was to develop a consensus based set of key, simple generic drowning prevention messages for the general public when recreating in various open water settings.

Method

We formed a task force of national experts in drowning prevention that included researchers, life saving, and public health representatives from multiple organisations, countries and continents. The consensus process consisted of structured brainstorming to develop water safety messages for two categories: care of self and the care of others. Boating and organised water sports were not addressed. Messages were prioritised using a modified Delphi technique; each prioritisation round eliminated 50% of the messages.

Results

From an original compilation of over 60 messages for each category, the Task Force agreed on eight key messages for each category. Learning swimming and water safety survival skills was the preferred option in both categories. Other strongly supported messages related to swimming with lifeguard supervision, the use of lifejackets, and supervision of others.

Discussion

Using a modified Delphi consensus process, a task force developed recommendations of informed and concise messages that promote safe recreational use of open water. It is hoped that these messages will improve the clarity and consistency of communication between drowning prevention organisations and the wide range of communities they serve with the ultimate goal of saving lives.
Healthcare utilisation for hospitalised injuries sustained in industrial settings in the United States
Authors: Lander L , Mahalingam-Dhingra A , Shah R K , Sorock G
Published: March 2011

Objective

Describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalised for injuries in industrial settings.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of hospital admissions in the United States in 2006 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. ICD-9 CM code E849.3 (industrial place and premises) was used to identify admissions.

Results

5826 patients were hospitalised with injuries sustained in industrial settings in the United States in 2006 (weighted 28 354). Mean age was 42.9 years (83.7% male). They were 48% Caucasian, 19% Hispanic and 6% Black. 72% were admitted from the Emergency Department; 79% were discharged home (9% with home healthcare) and 11% transferred to another facility. Mean length of stay was 4.5 days. Mean total charges was $32 254 (median $18 364, 90th percentile $66 607). 52% of patients had orthopaedic injuries to: finger/hand (21%), foot/ankle (8%), leg (10%) and spine (8%). 11% had an infection, 11% included a pulmonary diagnosis, 10% had soft tissue injuries and 4% had burns less than 10% of their body. 21% of patients used tobacco and 2% had a history of alcohol abuse. 17% were hypertensive and 6.3% had diabetes mellitus. Most common procedures included fracture reduction (23%), blood transfusions (4%) and spinal surgery (5%). 41 (1%) patients died in the hospital.

Conclusions

Injuries in industrial settings result in significant healthcare utilisation in the United States. Admission level data will facilitate development of targeted strategies to optimise the quality and economics of care for injuries in industrial settings.
Focus groups with Latino communities to inform safety centre services
Authors: McDonald E M , McGroarty K , Parsons S , Gielen A C
Published: March 2011

Purpose

In the US, unintentional injury is the third leading cause of death in the Latino population compared to fifth in the White population. The Children are safe (CARES) mobile safety centre is a 40-foot vehicle designed like an urban home to teach injury prevention messages and provide access to low cost safety products. Interested in reaching out to Latino communities with CARES, we needed to better understand their injury prevention needs, cultural issues and barriers to using CARES.

Methods

We planned, conducted (in Spanish) and then transcribed and coded the groups using the open coding method. Focus group facilitators asked questions to explore injury-related practices in the country of origin, knowledge of specific injury countermeasures, and perceptions of the CARES centre.

Results

Five focus groups were conducted with 36 adults. Most participants were female (86%), from Mexico (64%), ranging in age from 19–51 with an average of 2.3 children. Most (89%) went to school in their country of origin and 66% had less than a high school education. Focus groups revealed that none of the participants had used smoke alarms, 92% did not have a fire escape plan and 81% had never heard of carbon monoxide alarms. Distrust and lack of awareness of its services were cited as the two main reasons for not visiting CARES. Additional cultural issues and barriers to using CARES will be reported.

Conclusions

Focus group results revealed important information to develop culturally appropriate and effective educational messages and services.
Social system analysis of child abuse prevention network in local communities of Japan
Authors: Kakefuda I , Kitamura K , Nishida Y , Yamanaka T , Motomura Y
Published: March 2011

Recently child abuse has been recognised as a serious child health and welfare issue in Japan. Efforts to protect children from violence and neglect are hampered by lack of coordination among institutions and agencies, sometimes resulting in the worst consequences. The study aimed to understand current strengths and weakness of child abuse prevention networks, taking two local communities in Japan as examples. Using the perspectives of stakeholder analysis and community readiness analysis, we analysed how stakeholders in networks worked together and what problems in the networks prevented them from reaching their goal. Two local communities were selected because both communities had distinctive individuals (stakeholders) in institutions and agencies working for child protection, who were willing to participate in the study. Ten stakeholders participated from police agencies, child protection agencies, maternal and child health agencies, hospitals and nursery schools. Interviewers used a semi-structured questionnaire and asked for opinions about the quality of coordination in the networks, resource allocation and use by each institution and agency, and concerns about coordination. Interview contents were qualitatively evaluated and concordances and discrepancies in opinions among stakeholder individuals were assessed to understand the whole picture of child abuse prevention network coordination in the two communities. Results show that agencies and institutions sometimes have goals different than protecting children, for example, reluctance to report potential cases to police due to worries about making false accusations or retaliation from families. The method is helpful to understand and improve the quality of child abuse prevention networks.
Statistical modelling for recurrent injury events: an application to Rugby League injuries
Authors: Ullah S , Finch C F , Gabbett T J
Published: March 2011

Sports injuries can often be recurrent events, with subsequent (or repeat) injuries likely to be influenced by, and therefore different from, the first injury occurrence. While different modelling approaches have been used to analyse recurrent events, they often do not take into account correlation among the events. The aim of this study was to compare the applicability and relevance of a range of statistical models for the analysis of repeat injury count data and to provide a clear rationale for future modelling approaches for recurrent injuries. The models are demonstrated through direct application to Australian Rugby League injury data collected over three consecutive seasons. Three different models (Andersen-Gill approach, Poisson regression and negative binomial regression) were each individually fitted to the sports injury count data. Both analytical (F and bootstrap tests) and graphical approaches were used to select and compare models, including on data simulated according to various event-generating processes and differing in subject heterogeneity. Overall, the Poisson regression model provided the poorest fit to the real-world recurrent injury data and the simulated data. Although there was little difference in model fit between the remaining two models, in the interest of parsimony it is recommended that future studies routinely use the Anderson-Gill approach for the analysis of recurrent injuries. It is important that appropriate statistical methods are chosen to model recurrent injury data. To correctly specify and adequately fit recurrent injury event count data, flexible survival models should be routinely employed, with preference given to the Anderson-Gill approach.
Safer bars WA – reducing violence in and around licensed premises
Authors: Costello D
Published: March 2011

Background

Evidence has shown the causal link between alcohol consumption and violence is indisputable. In Western Australia (WA), the number of alcohol related assaults markedly increased by 52.1% from 1991/1992 to 1997/1998. Licensed premises are locations that are at high risk for alcohol intoxication and illicit drug use. The Safer Bars program, developed in Canada in the late 1990's, resulted in a 30% reduction in violent incidences in bars where it has been trialled. Safer Bars WA, funded by the WA Government, has been adapted to the Australian context. It is a training program aimed to develop the skills and abilities of those who work in licensed premises to reduce aggression, violence and injury in these settings.

Objectives

Of the Pilot Project are to: increase capacity of bar staff to prevent aggression, violence and injury in and around bars; reduce the number of violent incidents and injuries in and around bars; increase awareness of the links between alcohol and illicit drugs and violence; increase support for safer bar environments; increase collaboration between key stakeholders; reduce fear of violence for bar staff and patrons; develop training to best meet the needs of bar staff in WA.

Discussion and conclusions

The state of this current pilot project will be discussed along with recommendations for the further development and use of the Safer Bars model within Australia. 1. Drug and Alcohol Office (2003). 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey – first results for WA.
A Community-based survey of health and safety in postconflict Guatemala
Authors: Harvey M J , DiNardo A R , Vassy J L , Branas C C
Published: March 2011

In 1996, peace accords brought a close to Guatemalas 36-year civil war, which saw 200 000 casualties and over a million displaced persons. Despite the ceasefire Guatemala continues to be an extremely violent country, boasting one of the highest homicide rates in the world. To investigate the association between violence, substance use and mental health, we conducted a community-based survey of 46 Guatemalans in Guatemala City and the rural highland town of Santiago Atitlan. Our survey ascertained respondent demographics, trauma history, mental health, substance use history, exposure to weapons and crime and exposure to political violence. The mean age of our respondents was 36.9 ± 12.9 years, 72% were male, 80% were literate, and 65% spoke an indigenous language in addition to Spanish. The vast majority of respondents (91%) were afraid that they might be hurt by violence, while 41% reported experiencing some form of political violence. Seventy-two percent had seen someone seriously injured or killed. In total, 62% screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder, eight of which (29%) experienced their first traumatic event after the civil war ended. These data show high levels of violence and post-traumatic stress among the Guatemalans we sampled, even compared with other postconflict countries. In addition, many of our respondents experienced no violence prior to the peace accords, suggesting that levels of violence have not slowed in postconflict Guatemala. These data are useful in beginning to epidemiologically understand the downstream effects of the Guatemalan civil war, although a larger, randomly sampled survey is now needed.
Involvement and impact of road traffic injuries among productive age groups (18–59 years) in Bangladesh: issue for priority setting
Authors: Chowdhury S M , Rahman A , Mashreky S R , Rahman A K M Fazlur
Published: March 2011

Introduction

Road traffic injuries are deadly, taking lives of over 1.27 million men, women and children around the world every year. In the developing countries road traffic injuries generally affects males in the productive age ranges from 15–44 years. Road traffic injuries affect individuals, families, communities and nations as a whole. Being a low-income country, impact of road traffic injuries in the productive age groups in Bangladesh is enormous. However, road safety is still a neglected issue relative to other health concerns.

Objectives

To estimate the magnitude and impact of road traffic injuries in Bangladesh among the population in the productive age groups.

Methodology

A population-based household survey was conducted between January and December 2003 in Bangladesh. Multistage Cluster Sampling was used to choose nationally representative sample from 171 366 households of the country comprising of a total 421 629 population of 18–59 years. Data collected from the households on death or morbidity in the year preceding the survey. Causes of deaths and morbidities were determined using verbal autopsy and verbal diagnosis forms respectively.

Results

Road traffic injury was the leading cause of injury mortality and morbidity. It comprises 37.6% and 24.6% of total injury mortality and morbidity respectively. Most of the victims were the main earning member (57%) of the family and 15% families had permanent and major economic problem due to injury.

Conclusion

Result of the study could be an insight to the policymakers for priority setting and developing appropriate strategies.