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Epidemiology of Injuries
Epidemiology of Injuries
Accident
Definition
A body lesion due to acute exposure to energy beyond the physiological tolerance
• Injuries have been identified as a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in both the developed and
developing world.
✓ The basic underpinnings of their occurrence (the frequency in which they occur,
✓ the risk factors for their occurrence and to develop intervention programs to reduce their impact
Types of accidents
Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) *Industrial Accidents *Domestic accidents *Railway accidents *Violence
Causes of Injuries
Abnormal Energy Transfer
*Mechanical Energy (moving objects) *Thermal *Electric *Chemical *Radiation
Causes of accidents
Accidents are complex phenomena with multiple causation
Etiological factors are classified to
*Human (Age, Gender, Education, ……) *Environmental (Road, weather,…..) *Agent
Human factor Environmental Vehicles:
Age:15-44 yrs(50% mortality)
• Sex: More in males Related to Roads: High speed
• Education: Low educational – Defective and narrow roads Poorly maintained vehicles
status – Defective lay out of cross- Overloaded bus
• Medical condition (illness, Heart roads, Low driving standards
attack, Impaired vision, Fatigue, … – speed breakers Risk factors for motor vehicle
• Lack of protection – Poor lighting crashes
– Helmet Bad Weather
– Safety belts
Injury Prevention
Accident Investigation
*Who was present? *What activities were occurring? *What happened? *Where and what time? *Why did it
happen?
*be permanent , not temporary * depend on passive not on active contribution of individuals
• not affect productivity * not transfer the risk to another place * be applicable to similar sites