Rocío Palmera-Suárez1, Teresa López-Cuadrado2, Javier Almazán-Isla3, Rafael Fernández-Cuenca4, Enrique Alcalde-Cabero3, Iñaki Galán5. 1. Area of epidemiological analysis and health situation, National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: p_rocio_del_pilar@hotmail.com. 2. Area of epidemiological analysis and health situation, National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain. 3. Area of applied epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. 4. Area of epidemiological analysis and health situation, National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain. 5. Area of applied epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents cause substantial morbidity and disease burden; few studies have examined their impact on disability. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the magnitude and distribution of disability due to road traffic accidents according to socio-demographic variables, and its main socioeconomic and health determinants. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community-dwelling participants in the "2008 Spanish National Disability Survey", a representative sample of 91,846 households with 20,425 disabled persons older than 15 years; 443 had disability due to road traffic accidents. RESULTS: The prevalence was 2.1 per 1000 inhabitants (95% CI:1.8-2.3), with no differences by sex. Risk was highest among persons aged 31 to 64 years, and onset of disability showed a sharp inflection point at age 16 years in both sexes. Odds ratios (ORs) were higher (OR=1.3; 95% CI:1.1- 1.7) for participants with secondary education than for those with the lowest educational levels and were lower (OR: 0.5; 95% CI:0.3-0.8) for participants with the highest household income levels than for those with lowest. Only 24% of disabled participants were gainfully employed. As compared to other sources of disability, traffic crashes caused greater disability in terms of mobility (OR=3.1;p<0.001), a greater need for health/social services (OR=1.5;p=0.003), and more problems with private transportation (OR=1.6;p<0.001), moving around outside the home (OR=1.6;p<0.001) and changes in economic activity (OR=2.4;p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of disability due to road traffic accidents in Spain is lower than in other developed countries, with middle-aged and socio-economically underprivileged persons being the most affected. Disability due to road traffic accidents is related to a greater demand for social/health care support, problems of accessibility/commuting, and major changes in economic activity.
BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents cause substantial morbidity and disease burden; few studies have examined their impact on disability. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the magnitude and distribution of disability due to road traffic accidents according to socio-demographic variables, and its main socioeconomic and health determinants. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community-dwelling participants in the "2008 Spanish National Disability Survey", a representative sample of 91,846 households with 20,425 disabled persons older than 15 years; 443 had disability due to road traffic accidents. RESULTS: The prevalence was 2.1 per 1000 inhabitants (95% CI:1.8-2.3), with no differences by sex. Risk was highest among persons aged 31 to 64 years, and onset of disability showed a sharp inflection point at age 16 years in both sexes. Odds ratios (ORs) were higher (OR=1.3; 95% CI:1.1- 1.7) for participants with secondary education than for those with the lowest educational levels and were lower (OR: 0.5; 95% CI:0.3-0.8) for participants with the highest household income levels than for those with lowest. Only 24% of disabled participants were gainfully employed. As compared to other sources of disability, traffic crashes caused greater disability in terms of mobility (OR=3.1;p<0.001), a greater need for health/social services (OR=1.5;p=0.003), and more problems with private transportation (OR=1.6;p<0.001), moving around outside the home (OR=1.6;p<0.001) and changes in economic activity (OR=2.4;p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of disability due to road traffic accidents in Spain is lower than in other developed countries, with middle-aged and socio-economically underprivileged persons being the most affected. Disability due to road traffic accidents is related to a greater demand for social/health care support, problems of accessibility/commuting, and major changes in economic activity.