Epidemiological study of hospitalized road traffic injuries in Iran 2011

    Background: In Iran, Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs)  is the second-leading cause of deaths, and the first leading cause of  disability-adjusted life year, and has one of the highest rates of death (32.1 per 100 000 population) all over the world. This study’s aim was to investigate the epidemiological pattern and underlying components of hospitalized RTIs in 31 provinces of Iran in 2011.    Methods: This study conducted on all hospitalized RTIs during one-year period (March 21, 2011 to March 21, 2012). Data extracted from a hospital-based traffic injury registration system. According to a national law passed in 2005, all hospital expenses of traffic injuries should be covered by ministry of health based on governmental tariffs. The medical costs of eligible patients will be paid to the hospitals only if the patient data are sent to the above mentioned database. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA), and spatial maps are provided using GIS 10.2. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used to compare means. World (WHO 2000-2025) standard population used to calculate age-adjusted incidence rate. All statistical tests were performed at the 5% level of statistical significance.    Results: There were 322,064 injured cases recorded in the registration system during the study period. The national age-adjusted incidence rate of RTIs was 405 per 100,000 population. The highest incidence rates were in the age group of 15-29 years (643 per 100,000 population), followed by 30-44 year age groups (401 per 100,000 population). The incidence rate in men was 3.36 times more than women. Motorcyclist were the most frequent type of road users (39.2%) who involved in RTIs, followed by passengers (28.9%) and pedestrians (20.0%). Head injuries were among the most affected part of the body which occurred in 27.2% of the patients. The proportion of urban crashes was 60.7%.    Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the majority of RTI occurred on motorcyclists and head injuries was the most commonly affected body part. Therefore, in order to reduce motorcycle accidents and avoiding head injury among them, stricter law enforcement is urgently needed for helmet use and promotion of safety behaviors among motorcycle riders.