Alcohol use and risk of vehicle accidents: cross-sectional study in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

BACKGROUND

Harm to other people caused by an individual under the influence of alcohol (UIA) can occur in a variety of relationship situations between the drinker and these other people.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of the risk of vehicle accidents (RVA) involving people who are UIA, according to sociodemographic variables, respondent alcohol use and gender.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional study, in which a household survey was carried out on a cluster-stratified representative sample of urban residents in the city of São Paulo.

METHODS

The final sample was composed of 1,155 subjects aged 18-59 years, who were interviewed using the GENACIS Harm-to-Others questionnaire. Individuals were defined as having been harmed if an affirmative response was given to at least one of the questions that refers to RVA involving people who had been UIA in the last twelve months. Post-stratification weights were calculated to adjust for the study design and for no response. Since the outcome was binary, logistic regression was used in multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

The final response rate was 58.6%. The overall prevalence of RVA was 13.6% (95% confidence interval, CI 11.0-16.7): 16.6% among men and 10.8% among women. After the logistic regression, age remained as a protective factor (odds ratio, OR 0.95) and binge drinking as a risk factor (OR 2.03).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that binge drinking was associated with RVA.

Road traffic accidents: Global Burden of Disease study, Brazil and federated units, 1990 and 2015

Objective:

To describe the global burden of disease due to road traffic accidents in Brazil and federated units in 1990 and 2015.

Methods:

This is an analysis of secondary data from the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study estimates. The following estimates were used: standardized mortality rates and years of life lost by death or disability, potential years of life lost due to premature death, and years of unhealthy living conditions. The Mortality Information System was the main source of death data. Underreporting and redistribution of ill-defined causes and nonspecific codes were corrected.

Results:

Around 52,326 deaths due to road traffic accidents were estimated in Brazil in 2015. From 1990 to 2015, mortality rates decreased from 36.9 to 24.8/100 thousand people, a reduction of 32.8%. Tocantins and Piauí have the highest mortality risks among the federated units (FU), with 41.7/100 and 33.1/100 thousand people, respectively. They both present the highest rates of potential years of life lost due to premature deaths.

Conclusion:

Road traffic accidents are a public health problem. Using death- or disability-adjusted life years in studies of these causes is important because there are still no sources to know the magnitude of sequelae, as well as the weight of early deaths. Since its data are updated every year, the Global Burden of Disease study may provide evidence to formulate traffic security and health attention policies, which are guided to the needs of the federated units and of different groups of traffic users.

Urban road traffic deaths: data linkage and identification of high-risk population sub-groups

This study analyzes the profile of deaths from road traffic accidents in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, by linking two public databases, the Information System of the Urban Transportation and Transit Company (BH10) and the Mortality Information System (SIM). The linked database (n = 306) identified a 24% under-recording rate for deaths and differed in the age distribution from the BH10 database and in roadway user category when compared to the mortality database. The mortality rate for road traffic accidents within the city limits was 10.2 per 100,000 thousand, and was higher among men, young adults, and the elderly. Poisson multivariate regression showed a higher mean death rate for motorcycle occupants (rate ratio - RR: 1.81); pedestrians (RR: 1.32); males (RR: 1.24); single/divorced (RR: 1.27); young adults 18-29 years of age (RR: 1.75); elderly (RR: 1.59); and deaths at the crash site (RR: 1.39) when compared to the reference categories. The study unveils the city's traffic violence, expressed by the large proportion of deaths at the crash site and within the first 24 hours, and confirms the relevance of database linkage for characterizing vulnerable groups and traffic accident mortality in the urban setting.

Deaths of bicycle riders in Brazil: characteristics and trends during the period of 2000 - 2010

INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, bicycle use has been increasing. Accidents involving cyclists are important causes of morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To describe the mortality of cyclists injured in transport accidents in Brazil, the characteristics of the victims and of the occurrence, and to investigate its trends during the period between 2000 and 2010. METHODS: A descriptive study with data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) was conducted in the period of 2000 - 2010. Crude and age-standardized corrected mortality rates were calculated for Brazil, its macro-regions and states. Linear regression was used to study the trends. RESULTS: In the period of 2000 - 2010, 32,422 bicycle-related deaths were identified in Brazil. In 2010, there were, on average, 8.8 bicycle-related deaths per day. Age-standardized mortality rates for the country were 15.3 and 15.9 deaths per million inhabitants in 2000 and 2010, respectively (p = 0.725). During the whole period, the Center-Western region showed the highest rates, though stable, corresponding to 23.4 deaths per million inhabitants in 2010. Men accounted for 85.4% of deaths, with death risk 5 times higher than women. CONCLUSION: In spite of the stable rates for the country, there was an increase trend in the Northern and Northeastern regions, while a decreasing trend was observed in the Southern and Southeastern regions. The risk of death was higher among men, elderly, and people living in large cities and at the Center-Western region.

[Medical care due to accidental causes in emergency public services--Teresina, Piauí--2009]

Accidents are a major issue in the public health agenda and accidents from external causes represent a current challenge for public policies. The scope of this article is to describe the characteristics of emergency care grouped in the "other accidents" category of the "VIVA" 2009 survey, in the public services of Teresina-Piauí. Data was collected from standard forms entered into Epi Info 3.5.1 and analyzed in Stata 11 (module svy). Characteristics relating to the victims, the occurrence and care were compared according to age group and the type of accident using the Pearson chi-square test. Of the total of 2,061 external cause accidents, 677 (32.9%) were due to "other accidents," of which 202 (29.8%) involved wounds from sharp cutting objects, 172 (25.4%) with objects falling on the person or the person hitting an object, 111 (16.4%) with unknown objects and 70 (10.3%) with accidents involving animals. Accidents in the household with injuries located on the torso leading to hospitalization were greater in patients <20 years (p<0,005). Important differences were identified in the pattern of the occurrence among the types of accidents. The magnitude of these events suggests the need for programs that reduce vulnerability to accidents, linking health promotion and prevention actions.