Road traffic injuries are deadly, taking lives of over 1.18 million men, women and children around the world every year. In the developing countries of South-East Asian region road traffic injuries generally affects males in the productive age ranges from 15-44 years. Road traffic injuries affect individuals, families, communities and nations as a whole. Impact of road traffic injuries among productive age groups in Bangladesh is enormous. However, despite the extend of road traffic injuries, road safety has been neglected relative to other health concern. Objectives: To estimate the magnitude and impact of road traffic accidents in Bangladesh among productive age groups over 18 years of age. Methodology: A population-based household survey was conducted between January and December 2003 in Bangladesh. Multistage Cluster Sampling was used to choose a nationally representative sample of 171,366 households of the country comprising of a total surveyed 421,629 population of 18-59 years. Data collected from the households on death or morbidity in the year preceding the survey. Then the causes of deaths and morbidities were determined using verbal autopsy and verbal diagnosis forms respectively. Results: Road traffic injury was the leading cause of injury mortality as well as morbidity. It comprises 37.6 per cent and 24.6 per cent of total injury mortality and morbidity respectively. Most of the victim was the main income earner (57 per cent) of the family and 15 per cent family undergone major economic problem permanently due to injury. Conclusion: The result of the study could be use for priority setting and developing appropriate prevention strategies. (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see E216632.
Abstract