bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gunshots; another cause of injuries on our roads
Authors: Inyang U C , Solagberu B A , Ofoegbu C
Published: March 2011

Objective

Recent armed conflicts in West Africa and increasing ethno-religious crisis in Nigeria have made gunshot injuries the second leading cause of trauma deaths in the sub-region. This study was done to determine the predisposing factors, types of guns used and circumstances surrounding injuries sustained.

Material and Methods

Prospective study over 3-years of gunshot-injured patients seen at the emergency unit of a university hospital in Nigeria was done. Age, gender, occupation, circumstances of gunshot, place of injury, type of gun used and outcome (dead or alive) were studied.

Results

There were 100 patients; 88 males, 12 females. Age range was 1–68 years. Patients in 3rd and 4th decades of life accounted for 69%. Twenty three percent were students, 21% civil servants, 13% each were traders and drivers and 7% were policemen/force men. Ninety one percent had intentional gunshots; out of which 66% were due to armed robbery attack, 9% from law enforcement agents, 6% from communal clash and 5% from cultists. Armed robbers shot 48% of patients on the roads, 13% at home and 3% at their shops. Law enforcement agents intentionally shot 5% of patients on the roads. Dane gun was used on 73% of patients and rifle on 22%. Four percents died; 2 from sepsis and 1 from haemorrhage.

Conclusion

Gunshot injuries are suffered mainly by males in the 21–40 years age group who are family bread winners. Most of the injuries were sustained while commuting on the roads from shots fired by armed robbers. There is need for improved security and civil protection on our roads. Reducing unemployment will reduce armed robbery attack.
The danger of poor visibility – the Nigerian experience
Authors: Adenusi P
Published: March 2011

In the developing countries lots can be achieved in Road Safety through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Between 1992 and 2002 records shows that night time crashes contributed hugely to the number of road casualties. Research showed most crashes were related to rear impact because of poor visibility of stalled Heavy Goods Vehicles. The high death rate led to a public outcry which led to a national policy on the compulsory use of retro-reflective tape by 2004. The use of retro-reflective tape led to a high reduction in our national casualty record. There was reduction in the destruction of goods and properties; Less death of bread winners; Less burden for the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) personnel. El-Elyon, a private company pioneered the use of the tape, while the FRSC enforced the provision of the law concerning the use of retro-reflective tape. El-Elyon engaged in advocacy for about 18 months and the campaign was nationwide with about 40% compliance. P. Olson/M. Sivak researched in 1988 that the amount of light required to see during the hours of darkness doubles every 13 years. As we age, our visual capacity diminishes. The place of enhanced visibility cannot be over emphasised in the developing countries where they have poor maintenance culture, search & rescue and poor medical services. The Nigerian experience led to about 30% reduction. This partnership is recommended for other developing countries with similar challenges. Transporters bear the cost of the tape.
Observation of motorcycle helmet usage in three Sri Lankan cities; paediatric helmet recommendations needed
Authors: Hilmi L , Kottegoda E V , Jasinghe A , Perera D , Wax R
Published: March 2011

Introduction

In many developing countries, multiple riders are present on motorcycles; with varying degrees of helmet legislation compliance. Sri Lankan injury surveillance records determined 44.8% of the road injuries involved motorcycles. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, an observational study of three cities was conducted to assess patterns of helmet usage among adults/children. Mandatory motorcycle helmet legislation for adults is present in Sri Lanka; no formal paediatric legislation exists.

Methods

Injury data was analysed for types/causes related to motorcycles. A three-city observational study was conducted, during peak travel times. Riders were categorised for age, gender, helmet usage/type.

Results

2194 motorcycles with 3309 riders were observed. Most riders were adults (86.97%) with 12.87% children. Adult helmet use was 97%, while child usage was 31%. 92% of women wore helmets compared to 97% of men. The capital Colombo and Kurnegala had higher usage with 92% and 88%; Puttalam 70%. 81% wore open face helmets. Results were shared with the Trauma Secretariat for advocacy and public health policy.

Conclusions

Despite high helmet usage by adults, the majority of children are not wearing motorcycle helmets, increasing the risk of severe injury. In Asia, families often travel on motorcycles with infants, children and other family members, yet no formal WHO recommendations have been issued regarding paediatric motorcycle helmet usage. More research is needed to assess why helmets are not being used on children, availability and standards of helmets. Data must be used for advocacy, legislation and education.
The global availability of data for estimating the burden of injuries
Authors: Abraham J P , Bartolomeos K , Bhalla K , Harrison J
Published: March 2011

Reliable estimates of the burden of injuries are essential inputs for prioritising prevention strategies. While population-based injury surveillance is the best source for such information, it is recognised that these systems do not exist in many countries. Thus, we conducted an environmental scan of data sources that can be used to estimate the incidence of fatal and non-fatal injuries. This data hunt focused on both fatal and non-fatal data from a variety of sources including: mortuaries, hospitals, community-based surveys, civil/vital registration systems, etc. Strategies for identifying these data sources included non-systematic Internet searches of government websites and various databases, informal review of both published and unpublished literature and seeking input from the injury and public health communities for leads to additional data sources. We classified the data sources identified into three categories: mortality, hospital or survey data and then summarised according to global regions. Next we assessed the quality of data in each region, focusing on completeness, coverage, and quality of cause attribution in these data sources. Hence we present a map of the global availability of data sources for estimating the incidence of injuries. We find that while national vital registration systems are scarce in most of Africa and Asia, there are a multitude of other data sources, such as DSS sites and health surveys. In general, we find that there is a multitude of data sources available for such work even in countries traditionally considered to be information-poor.
Household cleaning product-related injuries treated in US emergency departments, 1990–2006
Authors: McKenzie L B , Ahir N , Stolz U , Nelson N
Published: March 2011

Objective

The goal was to examine patterns and trends of household cleaning product-related injuries in children aged ≤5 years treated in US emergency departments between 1990 and 2006.

Methods

Through use of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, cases of unintentional, non-fatal household cleaning product-related injuries were selected using household cleaning product codes. Household cleaning products were categorised according to major toxic ingredients, mode of action and by type of product exposure. Sample weights were used to calculate national estimates. US Census Bureau data were used to calculate injury rates per 10 000 children aged ≤5 years. Computation of odds ratios and 95% CI was performed. Trend analyses of the rates over time were conducted using linear regression.

Results

An estimated 267 269 children aged ≤5 years were treated in US emergency departments for household cleaning product-related injuries. Injuries decreased 46.0% from 22 141 in 1990 to 11 964 in 2006. The product most commonly associated with injury was bleach (37.1%). Children aged 1–3 years accounted for 72.0% of cases. The primary mechanism of injury was ingestion (62.7%). The most common source or container was spray-bottles (40.1%).

Conclusions

While rates of household cleaning product-related injuries in children aged ≤5 years have decreased significantly over time, the number of injuries remains high. Research is needed to develop effective prevention strategies to further reduce household cleaning product-related injuries, including improved child safety measures for household cleaning product containers.
What do parents believe about children's developmental milestones and the preventability of injuries?
Authors: Gielen A , McDonald E , Shields W , McKenzie L
Published: March 2011

Purpose

For young children, developmental capabilities influence their injury risk, often because their motor skills are more advanced than their ability to recognise and respond to hazards. This study explores the extent to which parents are knowledgeable about developmental milestones and whether this knowledge is related to their injury prevention beliefs.

Methods

Parents with children (<5years) were recruited in an inner city paediatric emergency department (N=453). Ten items from the Revised Denver Prescreening Development Questionnaire were used to ask parents at what age they thought the average child could accomplish milestones (eg, roll over, reach for items). Three items assessed parent's beliefs about preventing children's injuries (eg, the best way to prevent injuries is to teach your child to mind you).

Results

Among this sample of predominantly African American, low income families, a majority thought children would be older than the standardised norm when they could reach for items (72%) and feed themselves (67%). Two thirds thought children could walk up steps without help earlier than the norm. One third of parents thought that children would be older when they can pull themselves up to stand. One third thought children could follow instructions earlier than the norm. Bivariate and multi-variate analyses to adjust for child age and mothers education will examine the relationship between knowledge of developmental milestones and preventability beliefs.

Conclusions

Because young children depend on their parents to protect them from hazards, their inaccurate knowledge of children's developmental capabilities can unnecessarily put children at increased injury risk.
Assumption of responsibility of the cases of traumatisms in urgency at the medical centre with surgical antenna of Ziniar
Authors: Wangraoua M
Published: March 2011

Aims

To establish the epidemiology of the traumatic case received with the sorting of the department of surgery of the medical centre with surgical antenna of Ziniar, and to bring back the method of their assumption of responsibility.

Patients and Methods

It was about a retrospective study relating to the year 2009. Were included all the patients received in urgency for traumatism and recorded in the register of consultation. The studied parameters were the age, the sex, the profession, the cause of the traumatism, the diagnosis, therapeutic control.

Results

The traumatisms accounted for 69.75% of the cases received with sorting (that is to say 692 cases out of 992) and occur among relatively young patients with 32 years Middle Age. The sex ratio was of 2.6 in favour of the male sex. The main victims were the workers of the informal sector, the employees of the public and private professional sector, the pupils and students, the tradesmen. The traffic accidents, the brawls and the falls prevailed. The lesions of the soft parts and the lesions of the bones and the articulations in particular the fractures of the members and the cranial traumatisms were most frequent. All the cases of traumatisms osteoarticulaires were evacuated on the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Teaching Hospital or the Charles De Gaule Paediatric University Teaching Hospital for lack of service of radiology and reanimation.

Conclusion

The efficient assumption of responsibility of the majority of the traumatisms Ziniar remains related to the infrastructure problem.
Road safety communication: comparison of media reports and official risk statistics
Authors: Schnieder E , Stegemann F
Published: March 2011

Risk as a measure for safety consists of two orthogonal values: severity and frequence, as it is defined in most transport relevant standards. For safety evaluation and estimation, a thorough investigation and data collection is necessary which is officially performed by the police and statistical offices by means of a determined communication chain. The results were collected, condensed and published. On the other hand, actual accidents and incidents are reported to press and news agencies, where they are published after report and occurrence. The quantity of information of media published news refers mainly to the severity and to the rareness of its occurrence, according to Shannon's law of information. However, the public impact modifies the public awareness of safety issues from important risks to attractive events. To validate this observation, a long-time study has been performed and evaluated. Over 1 year, all press release/articles about traffic accidents in a certain regional newspaper were collected, and the information was quantified according to a qualitative measure of its information impact. The result was compared with the objective data gathered by adjacent police reports. The results of this comparison underline the stated hypothesis.
Association of mandatory seat belt use legislations intervention by traffic police with changes in road traffic injuries in Iran
Authors: Movahedi M , Soori H , Nasermoadeli A , Ainy E , Mehmandar M R , Nejhad M R Masoodei , Abady H R Hatam , Azari M Rezazadeh , Mahfozphoor S , Vafaee R
Published: March 2011

Background and Objective

This study investigated the efficacy of mandatory seat belt use legislation on reducing traffic injuries and the intensity of road traffic injuries (RTIs).

Materials and Methods

Data on RTIs from 1 year before till 2 years after the implementation of mandatory seat belt use legislation were obtained from the police department. After data cleaning and stratification RTIs and moralities from 1 year before till 2 year after the implementation of mandatory seat belt use legislations was compared with those in year prior to the intervention.

Results

After the implementation of the mandatory seat belt use, traffic mortalities consisted of 13.3% of all RTIs in the year prior to the implementation, while this proportion decreased to 9.9% and 11.5% in the first and second years after the implementation, respectively. The trend of mortality reduction was not consistent for seat belt use, as we observed a slight increase in the proportion of moralities in the second year after the implementation of mandatory seat belt use, though they did not reach the levels for before implementation of those laws.

Conclusion

Our findings suggested that the mandatory of seat belt use was efficient in reduction of intensity of RTIs and it was also efficient in reducing the crude number of RTIs. However, in the second year after the implantation the efficiency of this intervention reduced.
Toxic exposures to household cleaning agents in Italy
Authors: Davanzo F , Sesana F , Maiozzi P , Vignally P , Pitidis A , Settimi L
Published: March 2011

In Italy, the National Poison Control Centre of Milan (PCCM) handles yearly about 22 000 new cases exposed to chemicals (non-pharmaceuticals) at home. Among them, about 8000 (31%) are exposed to cleaning products.1 Aim of the present study is to provide a preliminary characterisation of the accidents related to this group of agents. The PCCM uses a standard form to collect the following main categories of data for each case examined: demographic characteristics; exposure characteristics; clinical effects; therapy; outcomes. The PCCM database was searched to identify and analyse all cases exposed to cleaning agents occurred in Italy in 2005. In the period under study, the PCCM managed 7778 cases exposed to household cleaning agents. About 51% were females and 49% males. Children younger than 5 years accounted 34% of cases. Most of the exposure were unintentional (87%). The main routes of exposure were ingestion (65%) and inhalation (20%). The categories of products most frequently reported were: bleaching with hypochlorite (23%), wall/floor/tile cleaners (18%), ammonia cleaners (11%), hand dishwashing (8%), automatic dishwasher detergents (5%). The observations here reported should be considered as a starting point for further analyses focused on specific chemicals and commercial products.
Exploring how fathers access child safety information
Authors: Olsen L , Brussoni M , Kruse S
Published: March 2011

Introduction

Injury is the leading cause of death for children over the age of one. Prevention methods such as providing parents with information on injury risks and prevention strategies can be an effective way to help change risk behaviour and decrease the chance of an injury event.

Purpose

To gain an understanding on father's behaviours in regard to accessing information on childhood safety.

Method

Interviews for this qualitative study were carried out with fathers of children aged 2 to 7 years in British Columbia, Canada. Interview questions explored whether fathers were likely to access information on child safety issues; what type of information they were likely to search for; what types of resources they used or would like to use.

Results

In total, 32 fathers were interviewed. Of the fathers that did look for information on child safety, most reported accessing the Internet as a main resource for child safety. Many fathers reported issues around trusting sources and accessing quality information over the Internet. Other common sources of safety information fathers reported using included pamphlets, as well as information obtained through community resources, media and dialogue with other people.

Conclusion

Fathers use specific portals to access information on child safety. To ensure that parents are suitably informed on prevention strategies, health professionals need to consider fathers perspectives in the development of dissemination strategies and design of materials. The findings show that specific attention should be focused on Internet-based strategies and the ways that fathers use this resource.
The dual benefit of first aid training among Civilians in a time of war
Authors: Jaffe E , Aviel E , Kodinsky N , Knobler H , Aharonson-Daniel L
Published: March 2011

Background

First-aid training enables the acquisition of life-saving skills. However, proficiency in first-aid also reduces anxiety among caregivers. The question explored in this study was as follows: Will first-aid training in shelters to civilians under missile attacks contribute to reducing anxiety among the trainees beyond the provision of life-saving skills?

Methods

Participants of first-aid training courses conducted in shelters in settlements under missile attack in southern Israel during January 2009 were asked about their reason for joining the course, the quality of training, the courses' influence on their perceived role during a missile attack and their self perceived proficiency with life-saving skills.

Results

140 respondents, residents of 28 southern settlements of whom 77% were female. The training course significantly contributed to the feeling of safety, the knowledge what to do after a missile attack and role acquisition. The quality of training was found to contribute to reducing anxiety with the knowledge variable as a mediator.

Conclusions

People under attack, who learnt first-aid while in bomb-shelters, perceived themselves as caregivers and not as potential targets of attack themselves. Learning first-aid is seen as a mode to enable helping loved-ones, but not as a way of reducing anxiety among trainees. The professional level of training significantly influences the level of knowledge, and thus decreases anxiety. The aspiration to use good instructors always exists. This study emphasises the great importance of assigning appropriate instructors in such situations.
It was a freak accident: analysis of the presentation of injuries and deaths in the US press
Authors: Smith K C , Gielen A , Baker S , Girasek D , Samuels A
Published: March 2011

A key tenet of injury control is that to the extent that injury is seen as unavoidable, so the power of known, effective prevention strategies is limited. The term accident has long been construed as part of the problem as it is highly associated with public conceptualisation of injury, and yet also inherently negates notions of responsibility and predictability. Social constructionist theories provide tools to understand how key ideas and concepts are created, sustained and ultimately challenged and changed. Framing theory presents the news media as a powerful mechanism through which the public is provided with the critical concepts to understand the nature of key (newsworthy) events that occur within their social world, but outside of their immediate experience. We present data from an analysis of how and when the term Freak Accident is applied within the U.S. news media. We argue that while this term has media utility, it is inherently problematic for injury prevention. Data result from a search of stories produced by the Associated Press within the prior 5 years in which the term Freak accident appeared anywhere within the text. Stories that did not pertain to human injury were excluded, yielding a dataset of 262 relevant stories for analysis. Using a qualitative textual analytic methodology, we consider the nature of events being defined as freak accidents, who defines the events in this way, and the severity of the injuries sustained. We apply these findings to intervention opportunities for media advocacy and media education programs.
Evaluation of the assumption of responsibility of the traumatisms of the locomotors apparatus due to the traffic accidents road in the university hospital – Yalgadogo Ouedraogo (CHU-YO) of Ouagadougou
Authors: Lassane Z
Published: March 2011

Aims

To evaluate the assumption of responsibility of the traumatisms of the locomotors apparatus due to the traffic accidents road in the university hospital – Yalgadogo Ouedraogo (CHU-YO) of Ouagadougou.

Method

This study was of transverse futurology type to evaluative aiming. The investigation of ground proceeded 07 August 31, 2009 and concerned 28 agents of health and 162 patients.

Results

The results to which we ended reveal insufficiencies in the assumption of responsibility. These insufficiencies are prejudicial with the road victims of the traumatisms and accuse medical staff and the resources for the assumption of responsibility. The insufficiencies more in sight are as follows:

The bad reception of the patients;

Lack of rigour in the compliance with the rules of asepsis;

Negligence in the monitoring of the casualty;

The weak interpersonal communication;

Lack of protocolar supports of assumption of responsibility;

The insufficiency of the equipment and the emergency drugs;

The irregularity of the supervisions;

The insufficiency of continuing education.

Conclusion

To improve the situation we have:

To promote the prevention of the traumatisms of the road;

To reinforce the technical plate of the service of the traumatologic and orthopedic urgencies of the CHU-YO;

To allocate the resources consequent and essential to the assumption of responsibility of the cases;

To promote the North-South partnership in the problems of the traumatisms of the road.
Risk behaviour and injury risk factors: in multi country analysis
Authors: Hasan F , Hossain N M
Published: March 2011

Background

Childhood injury is one of the major preventable public health problems. Unintentional injuries account for almost 90% of worlds million deaths from injury and violence in children and young people under the age of 18 years. Canada has one of the best healthcare and surveillance system in this world. Malaysia undertakes several initiatives to tackle this preventable public health problem; but it will take time and need more population enrichment and participations. Bangladesh is far off from its goal; need more immediate actions and further assistance from international communities.

Objectives

(1) To determine the prevalence of risk factors for Childhood injury in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Canada and their country wise differences. (2) To determine the barriers and enablers to adopt injury prevention strategies such as car seats, bicycle helmet use, in those countries and their country wise differences.

Methodology

The study will examine the existing data and newly collected data for population-based estimates of specific variables. A need assessment survey will be conducted to collect qualitative information. Exploratory data analysis techniques will use for checking the consistency and validity of data, contingency table analysis for testing independence of categorical data and finally, Qualitative analyses will be done by using thematic content analysis.

Target Population

Target population will be between ages 1 to 18 years of old.

Expected Outcome

Better understanding of knowledge and behaviours related to injury prevention. Ideas can be directly applied to a program targeting these countries.
Enhancing surveillance strategies for childhood self-reporting data
Authors: Jepsen S D , Wilkins J R , Crawford J Mac , Koechlin K M , Bean T L
Published: March 2011

Problem

Investigators routinely incorporate youth self-report data into cohort studies with variable results. Our study successfully employed strategies to ensure data quality and reduce participant fatigue.

Methods

A longitudinal study of rural youth aged 9–18 years was conducted to develop multivariable risk prediction models of agricultural related injuries at the same time collecting unintentional injury data for children exposed to agricultural hazards. Over 400 youth were involved in a 13-week cohort study. During this time period, each person interacted with researchers in a multitude of ways to remain engaged in the study, avoid reporting fatigue, and deliver quality self-reported data.

Results

To obtain study results, youth (and their consenting parents) received letters of invitation. Once enrolled, the study team met face-to-face with each subject to describe the reporting process. Complimentary to completing a daily record book, youth had weekly interaction with an electronic toll free phone system. If the youth did not phone in, the system called them until contact was made. Additional incentives included a personal wristwatch, monetary incentives for each week data was submitted, and lottery opportunity to win sport tickets.

Conclusion

Semilogarithmic plots of rates of all unintentional injuries (US data from 2000) as well as agriculture-related injuries (US and Canadian data from 19 previous studies) graphed as a function of injury severity exhibited linearity. Our cohort reported injury rates 1.4 to 4.3 times higher than national rates, suggesting that our methodology can significantly reduce injury under-reporting.
Using automatic recognition procedure for detecting products from injury DataBase open text records: the case of caustic substances
Authors: Vignally P , Fondi G , Taggi F , Pitidis A
Published: March 2011

Objective

In Italy the EU Injury DataBase (IDB) reports chemical products in 0.9% of home and leisure accidents. The whole European sample reports a similar figure for injury by chemical effect and 0.2% for chemical corrosion injuries. A simplified ED registry on home accidents. The 90% of toxic exposures occur at home. The aim of study is monitoring caustic effects in Italy using automatic recognition of free-text in ED medical databases.

Methods

We created a Stata software program to automatically identify caustic or corrosive injury cases. The procedure has to recognise caustic or corrosive agent within the free text using a agent specific list of keywords. In order to assess the capacity of recognition of this expert system we focused the attention on the sensibility and specificity of the procedure.

Results

10 hospitals of 6 regions participated at the study. The program identified 112 cases of injury by caustic agents. Checking the cases by quality controls we assessed 99 cases as true positive cases, as to say 0.59% (99% CI 0.45–.76) of the total sample, almost three folds greater than the expected value (p<0.000) from European codified information. False positives were 11.6% of the recognised cases (99% CI 5.1% to 21.5%).

Conclusion

Contrary to our a priori hypothesis the automatic recognition consented a level of individuation of agents with caustic effects significantly much greater than what expected according to the values from current codifications reported in the European database.
Differences in the perception of the need of different components of pre-hospital emergency medical services among different strata in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Moin O , Khan U , Razzak J , Abdul J
Published: March 2011

Background

In Pakistan, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is in its infancy and only recently has pre-hospital care begun to take shape. There is strong evidence that EMS systems that are both economical and provide fundamental care can improve the overall effectiveness of pre-hospital care.

Methods

This cross sectional study was conducted among physicians, final year medical students, nurses, ambulance drivers and the general public. Physicians, students and nurses of various seniority levels were selected from two teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. A convenience sample of ambulance drivers and general public was selected.

Results

357 people were interviewed for this study (physicians/students n=192, nurses=41, ambulance drivers=24, general population=100). On a scale of 1–10 all strata scored EMS to be an important part of emergency care (combined mean score 8.21±2.1). All groups supported charges of less than 500 rupees (6 US dollars) for a one time use of an ambulance service (physicians/students=72%, nurses=98%, ambulance drivers=88%, general population=80%). A large portion of each strata agreed that faster ambulances would save more lives (physicians/students=57%, nurses=67%, ambulance drivers=65%, general population=68%). Each group also approved that better equipped ambulances would save more lives (physicians/students=64%, nurses=57%, ambulance drivers=57%, general population=80%).

Conclusion

EMS is perceived as an important health intervention by providers and users. Effective EMS systems should be integrated into pre-hospital care in Pakistan.
The contribution of an injury data registry system to injury surveillance in rural Iran: community health workers and health authorities views and concerns
Authors: Rezapur-Shahkolai F , Naghavi M , Shokouhi M , Laflamme L
Published: March 2011

Background

Injury prevention and control require that accurate data be continuously gathered, analysed and disseminated. A new injury data registry system has recently been piloted and is in the progress of being implemented in rural areas of Iran. This study aims at highlighting areas of consensus and of differences of opinion between different groups of stakeholders concerning the new registration systems potential for injury surveillance and control.

Methods

This interview-based study gathered the opinions of stakeholders from national, provincial, and district levels, including community health workers (called Behvarzes) concerning the acceptance, functioning and potential for injury prevention of the new system. The answers provided by all respondents except for the heads of villages are considered (64 Behvarzes and 27 other stakeholders). Attention was paid to the answers provided regarding the acceptance of the injury information system; the weaknesses and strengths identified, and the facilitators and barriers for it to be integrated into the work of the community health workers.

Results

Most Behvarzes (53 of 64) and about half of the other stakeholders (13 of 27) expressed positive opinions regarding their acceptance of the system. Consensuses between the two groups of respondents were stronger regarding the potential of the system to determine the incidence of specific types of injuries; and also the sex and age related injury distributions. Most interviewees also considered that the system could provide data of interest for future injury control and prevention. The facilitator of the system most frequently mentioned was the Behvarzes, who come from the local community and reside there. Nonetheless, their high workload and multiple tasks in the health house were regarded as likely barriers to their commitment to the system. Behvarzes mentioned that they would appreciate feed back about the information they gather, in the form of for example reports from upper level authorities, in particular about how that information affects injury control and prevention at community level.
Findings of a injury surveillance programme done in a rural district setup in India
Authors: Jayaram A , Gururaj G , Rajanna M S , Venkatesh P
Published: March 2011

Introduction

With many stakeholders in the collection of information on injuries it is very essential to have an effective surveillance system that combines data from different sources. Injury surveillance programmes in the developing world is a rarity. Hence the exact burden, types and strategies for prevention of injuries in the developing countries like is India is lacking. An initiative to start an injury surveillance programme was taken up by the WHO collaborating centre at National Institute of Mental health and Neurosciences, Bangalore.

Aim and Objectives

To present the findings of the injury surveillance programme done in representative health institutions in a rural district setup in India.

Methodology

Injury surveillance data collected from casualty departments of a rural district hospital, Medical College Hospital, 2 community and 3 primary health centres were collected for a period of more than 2 years. A standardised format developed by the Bangalore Injury surveillance programme was used for collecting the surveillance data. The data was entered into Epi Info and later analysed.

Results

A total of 2146 injuries were analysed. Road traffic injuries constituted the major burden accounting for more than 50% of all injuries recorded. The second commonest cause of injury was assault (20%) followed by poisoning (12%). The distribution of injuries with regard to intent, severity, first-aid received, mode of transport used to reach the hospital and number of hospital visited were analysed. The road traffic injuries with regard to the type of roads and road user category were analysed. The findings will be presented in the conference.
Qualitative evaluation of pedestrians' perceptions of walk ability and safety in relation to the built environment in Cali, Colombia
Authors: Espitia J F R , Villaveces A , Gil L Nieto , Ortega D , Medina J J , Martinez M I G
Published: March 2011

In Cali, Colombia, according to the Observatory of Crime, pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users accounting for 50% of the total traffic-related deaths in the last 15 years. Despite this, there has been little research about the pedestrian perceptions of safety in particular with relation to the characteristics of the physical environment. In this study we compare pedestrian perceptions of safety and walkability by means of intercept interviews with perceptions reported in focal group settings. We conducted 400 pedestrian intercept interviews from 20 urban zones addressing frequency of walking, and perceptions of safety and security. Quantitative data from interviews were compared with qualitative data from focal groups regarding walkability and safety in relation to the physical characteristics of the environment. Results indicated that 40% of interviewed pedestrians were residents of the place, 46% of people reported being habitual walkers in the area, 56% perceive the neighbourhood where they were walking as unsafe and mostly at night. Over 80% were satisfied with access to public transportation and about half considered pedestrian crosswalks to be acceptable. Most complaints referred to excess noise, traffic and pollution. Combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies to collect information about pedestrian perceptions of safety and walkability improved and strengthened the results of this study. Perceptions of focus group participants has given valuable information that will be used to develop community prevention strategies addressing pedestrian injuries in this city.
Psychological approach of antisocial behaviours and associated risk-taking behaviours
Authors: Bernadet S
Published: March 2011

Associated with antisocial behaviours, new dangerous practices seem to emerge among adolescents in France (asphyxial games, binge drinking). Several researches considered individual factors leading adolescents to seek risky situations. However, few of them came to distinguish profiles of risk-taking depending on the type of declared dangerous practices.

Objective

Distinguish different risk-taking profiles among adolescents and specify involved individual features (personality, perceived stress, coping strategies,) in each profile.

Method

276 middle and high school students, aged between 12 and 16. Self-assessment: Exploratory Questionnaire on risk-taking behaviours, Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (Luby, 1999), Coping Across Situation Questionnaire (Seiffge-Krenke et al, 2008), Children Depression Inventory for Children (Kovack & Beck, 1977), State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (Spielberger, 1983). Preliminary results underline three profiles of risk-taking. 26.1% of the adolescents reported antisocial behaviours, 31.2% declared antisocial and substance use behaviours and 10.5% reported antisocial behaviours associated with substance use behaviours and dangerous games. High depressive and anxious symptomatology, high novelty-seeking, use of avoidant coping strategies as well as low individual and social maturity were associated to adolescents engaging several forms of risk-taking behaviours. Likewise Jessors general syndrome of deviance according, this study shows that selected individual factors might be indicators of a general syndrome of risk-taking. Adolescents presenting this kind of psychological functioning would be more likely to seek risky situations in several fields in their life. These results would help to define well-focused preventive strategies.
Is it feasible to screen older drivers using a battery of available tests and triage them into meaningful driving risk groups?
Authors: Jones V , Gielen A , Rebok G , Bailey M , Parrish J , Gaines J , Shao Y L
Published: March 2011

By 2030 the older population aged 60 and above is projected to be twice as large as any other age-group, growing from 35 million to 71.5 million and representing nearly 20% of the total U.S. population. Coupling this growth with an increase in life expectancy, we can expect substantial increases in the number of older Americans travelling on our roadways. Older driver crashes are related to inattention or slowed response, lack of recognition of these changes or the fact that they can be influenced by prescription medication use, poor vision or other medical conditions. The presence these changes may not constitute heightened risk except in a driver who fails to adjust their behaviour to compensate for those conditions. We do not have good measures of elevation in risk, and we have limited evidence upon which to make recommendations to older drivers about how to regulate their driving behaviours. Is it feasible to screen older drivers using available tests and triage them into meaningful driving risk groups? This study presents a description of more than 60 older adults ages 65 and older who are being screened for possible participation in a comprehensive driver-self regulation training program. Components of the screening include vision, range of motion, reaction time measurement, and functional cognitive testing. Preliminary results suggest that up to 30% of these individuals may screen at high driving impairment risk.
Evaluation the risk of violence between individuals with paranoid disorder
Authors: Filov I , Raleva M , Peshevska D J
Published: March 2011

Introduction

The connection between psychiatric disorders and aggressive behaviour, especially homicides, as extreme shape of human aggression, is confirmed with many surveys. The purpose of the investigation is to analyse psycho pathological, psychological and social characteristics of subgroups of patients, which have been diagnosed as paranoid states and which is with risk of aggressive manifestation, including homicides.

Material and Methods

The investigation was conducted in the Psychiatric Hospital- Demir Hisar and the Community Mental Health Centre-Prilep. Experimental and control group has 50 patients. In the first group, the patients were homicide perpetrators, and in the second group, they were not perpetrators of any criminal act. Both groups were submitted to BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), LOBI (List Of Basic Information), Paranoid Scale, Scale of Aggression (Cattel) MM PI and Forensic Questionnaire.

Conclusions

Investigation shows increased values of the most of the variables of the experimental group, compared with the same variables of the control group.

Discussion

The specific psycho pathological variables, which are connected with committing homicide, are anxiety, hostility, grandiosity, aggression, uncooperativeness and excitement. The psychological variables are the increase values of the paranoid symptoms and aggression, socio pathological orientation and the increase value of the hysteric scale. They are separated according to the significance in the homicide desire of the persons with paranoid states. The evaluation of these variables in everyday clinical practice of the persons with paranoid states means the base for prevention and prediction of the aggressive behaviour, including homicide.
Nexus between communication revolutions and youth crime
Authors: Yinusa M A , Basil A O
Published: March 2011

Communication revolution has experienced its maximum impact in the last two decades in Nigeria with the Internet receiving an explosive attention. Though communication has become a major factor in critical human activities such as politics, economy, socio-cultural and religious, it had also engendered some other nefarious activities ranging from embezzlement, fraud, theft and violence. Youths are the major perpetrators of the crimes. The nexus between communication revolution and youth crime in Ilorin formed the challenge of this study. Social survey was adopted for the study while 102 respondents were drawn through a simple random sampling with χ2as the statistical technique for the study. The findings revealed that youth crime increased with the explosion of communication revolution precipitates other social problems. Based on this, the following recommendations are necessary. Government should develop experts to handle communication related crimes while the society, parents and individuals should embrace the culture of positive values.
A browser for graphically searching and sharing injured parts of the body
Authors: Kitamura K , Nishida Y , Motomura Y , Yamanaka T
Published: March 2011

Representing external injury case data and utilising them for improving consumer products are important for injury prevention. However, we don't have a good tool for expressing injury case data that includes injury position and shape. We have developed a new technology, a body graphic information system (BIS), that enables us to express, collect, retrieve and analyse external injury geometric data. The BIS can manage external injury data by associating the information with human body geography. External injury information can be input by drawing on the human model with the computer mouse. The input injury data can be standardised and accumulated in a database system. We collected 3144 external injury data using the system at the hospital. When consumer product makers prevent unintentional injury by improving consumer products, it is useful to know which body part is injured due to their own developed products. For example, If bicycle helmet makers know which head part is injured frequently due to bicycle, they can develop new design helmet for protecting that part. We developed the search system for sharing collected data and the system is available for free. We are going to release an English version of the system for sharing all over the world. The system enables us to retrieve frequent distribution of injured body part with search conditions (eg, Age, Gender, Type of injury, Place, Products and so on). The system was downloaded over 1700 in one year.
Traditions in implementation: case study of falls prevention in a rural health authority
Authors: Brown J , Baker S , Zwerling I
Published: March 2011

Introduction

Rural Health Authorities are challenged to address the complex issue of falls in aging populations. While extensive evidence exists regarding successful falls prevention interventions, there is little information about planning and implementation at an organisational level. This presentation outlines results from research examining falls prevention at a rural health authority.

Method

Case study methodology was applied in a phased approach examining development and implementation of the falls prevention strategy. Data collection focused barriers and facilitators experienced by team members, and suggestions to improve processes used. Data collection methods included review of key documents and field notes, participant observation and interviews. The interviews were reviewed, coded and analysed to extract themes.

Results

The process of strategy development is outlined. The themes for planning reveal the lack of consensus regarding what constitutes a planning process, non-linearity of planning and implementation, and tremendous complexity of barriers and supports. Analysis of implementation identifies themes of the importance of culture within teams and within organisations, a dynamic tension between policy makers and healthcare makers, and competing demands for attention at both individual and organisational levels. Facilitation strategies that contribute to changing everyday practice are discussed, as well as sources of resistance to change.

Conclusions

This research provides insight for health organisations addressing falls in aging populations, particularly in rural areas which lack well developed resources and traditions for implementation of evidence in routine practices. Translating evidence into everyday practice for injury prevention is complex, and easily overwhelmed by competing demands.