Victoria E. Espitia-Hardeman

Efectos de las intervenciones diseñadas para prevenir las muertes de motociclistas en Cali, Colombia (1993-2001)

OBJETIVO: Este estudio se ideo para describir el efecto de las intervenciones dirigidas a disminuir las muertes de los motociclistas. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Se analizaron las variaciones en la mortalidad de motociclistas en Cali, al momento de aplicarse las intervenciones, y el significado estadistico de dichos cambios, entre 1993 y 2001. RESULTADOS: La tasa de muerte de motociclistas por cada 100 000 habitantes se redujo de 9.7 en 1995 a 3.6 en 2001. La mayor reduccion se observo despues de la introduccion del uso del casco protector en 1996 (12.3%). Otras medidas como la obligatoriedad del casco para los pasajeros, el uso del chaleco reflectivo, la prohibicion de usar motocicletas en dias de diciembre y la exigencia de cursos para infractores redujeron en su conjunto aun mas la mortalidad, mientras que el debilitamiento de la vigilancia la incremento. CONCLUSIONES: La implantacion y ejecucion de medidas combinadas de prevencion resultan mas efectivas que las medidas individuales o desarticuladas.

Characteristics of non-fatal injuries in Leon, Nicaragua - 2004.

This article describes the epidemiology of injuries collected in the Injury Surveillance System in Leon Hospital in Nicaragua. A total of 6659 persons were treated for injuries in 2004. It was discovered that 88% of all injuries were unintentional, 9% involved interpersonal violence, 2% were self-inflicted and 0.2% was undetermined. Men accounted for 64.7% of the cases, with the highest rate among 20 – 24 year olds (5625.8 per 100 000 inhabitants). Among women, the highest rate was in those aged 64 years and older (5324.2 per 100 000 inhabitants). The most common mechanisms were falls (33.9%), blunt force (26.8%), cut/pierce/stab (15.1%) and transportation-related (12.8%). These results indicate the need to identify prevention strategies for those injuries that were most commonly treated in emergency, such as unintentional falls among older women, self-inflicted poisoning among young women and blunt force and transportation-related injuries among young men.

National burden of road traffic injuries in Argentina

More than 1.2 million people die and as many as 50 million people are injured or disabled due to road traffic injuries (RTIs) every year worldwide. The lack of reliable data hinders efforts to describe the characteristics of the issue and prioritise prevention activities. The objective was to provide a snapshot of fatal and non-fatal RTI in Argentina. We used the methodology proposed by the Global Burden of Disease Injury Expert group. External causes of deaths with unknown codes were proportionately redistributed over the known categories. In 2007 in Argentina, we estimated 5915 RTI deaths, compared with 3983 RTI deaths reported previously by the Ministry of Health, accounting for 1931 additional cases. The highest number of deaths occurred in young men (15–29 years old), although the highest RTI death rates were in the age group of 55 years and older. Four-wheeled vehicle occupants were the most common road user type killed (59.1%); vulnerable road users represented one third (29.5%) of deaths and 64% of non-fatal RTI. The national and regional estimates of RTI in Argentina should help policy makers and public-health researchers to understand the importance of RTI prevention and design specific interventions to further reduce these preventable deaths and injuries.

The burden of childhood injuries and evidence based strategies developed using the injury surveillance system in Pasto, Colombia

Objective This article characterises the burden of childhood injuries and provides examples of evidence–based injury prevention strategies developed using a citywide injury surveillance system in Pasto, Colombia. Methods Fatal (2003-2007) and non-fatal (2006-2007) childhood injury data were analysed by age, sex, cause, intent, place of occurrence, and disposition. Results Boys accounted for 71.5% of fatal and 64.9% of non-fatal injuries. The overall fatality rate for all injuries was 170.8 per 100,000 and the non-fatal injury rate was 4,053 per 100,000. Unintentional injuries were the leading causes of fatal injuries for all age groups, except for those 15-19 years whose top four leading causes were violence-related. Among non-fatal injuries, falls was the leading mechanism in the group 0-14 years. Interpersonal violence with a sharp object was the most important cause for boys aged 15-19 years. Home was the most frequent place of occurrence for both fatal and non-fatal injuries for young children 0-4 years old. Home, school and public places became an important place for injuries for boys in the age group 5-15 years. The highest case-fatality rate was for self-inflicted injuries (8.9%). Conclusions Although some interventions have been implemented in Pasto to reduce injuries, it is necessary to further explore risk factors to better focus prevention strategies and their evaluation. We discuss three evidence-based strategies developed to prevent firework-related injuries during festival, self-inflicted injuries, and road traffic-related injuries, designed and implemented based on the injury surveillance data.

Alcohol-associated injury visits to emergency departments in Pasto, Colombia in 2006.

Alcohol-associated injury visits to emergency departments in Pasto, Colombia in 2006 Victoria Espitia-Hardeman*, Dan Hungerford, Holly A. Hill, Carmen E. Betancourt, Alba N. Villareal, Luz D. Caycedo and Carlos Portillo Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Division of Injury Response, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Observatorio del Delito, Pasto, Colombia

A road traffic injury surveillance system using combined data sources in Peru

A national hospital-based nonfatal road traffic injury surveillance system was established at sentinel units across Peru in 2007 under the leadership of the Ministry of Health. Surveillance data are drawn from three different sources (hospital records, police reports, and vehicle insurance reports) and include nonfatal road traffic injuries initially attended at emergency rooms. A single data collection form is used to record information about the injured, event characteristics related to the driver of the vehicle(s), and the vehicle(s). Data are analyzed periodically and disseminated to all surveillance system participants. Results indicated young adult males (15-29 years old) were most affected by nonfatal road traffic injuries and were most often the drivers of the vehicles involved in the collision. Four-wheeled vehicle occupants comprised one-half of cases in most regions of the country, and pedestrians injured in the event accounted for almost another half. The system established in Peru could serve as a model for the use of multiple data sources in national nonfatal road traffic injury surveillance. Based on this study, the challenges of this type of system include sustaining and increasing participation among sentinel units nationwide and identifying appropriate prevention interventions at the local level based on the resulting data.

Using the Fatal Injury Surveillance System and Surveys to Monitor Motorcyclist Deaths and Helmet Use in Cali (Colombia), 1996–2009

Introduction In Cali, motorcycles are an important means of transportation and an increasing cause of injuries. The purpose was to examine deaths among motorcyclists over the period 1993 to 2009 and the possible role that various prevention measures may have had on these types of deaths. Method Motorcyclist deaths registered in a fatal injury surveillance system over the period 1993–2009 were analysed along with information on helmet use from annual surveys on helmet use, and other interventions (helmet laws, safety vest, etc.). Results Motorcyclist death rates increased from 18.0 per 10 000 registered motorcycles in 1993 to 26.7 in 1995. In 1996 a helmet law was launched, and the rate in that year decreased to 20.9. The rates have decreased in each year since the passage of the helmet law, with the lowest rate reported in 2006 (9.7). Besides the helmet law, other prevention strategies were also applied, possibly contributing to the reduction in motorcyclist fatalities. In the most recent survey on helmet use in Cali (2002), approximately 80% of motorcyclists reported using a helmet. In the last 4 years, however, the death rates have increased from 9.7 in 2006 to 16.5 in 2009. Conclusions In Cali, the helmet law and other enforcement measures have contributed to reduce motorcyclist deaths. Although most of the motorcyclists are helmeted in Cali, the increasing trend of deaths in recent years indicates the need to explore other factors that may be influencing mortality (eg, drunk driving).