Epidemiological Characteristics of Road Traffic Injuries Involving Children in Three Central American Countries, 2012–2015

Abstract

Although motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a worldwide public health concern due to their high injury, mortality, and fatality rates, few studies have addressed the epidemiologic behavior of MVCs in Latin American youth. Thus, this study was aimed at describing and comparing the characteristics of MVCs involving 0 to 14-year-olds in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama. A secondary aim was to estimate the crude MVC-related injury, fatality, and mortality rates and their trends over time. We conducted a descriptive, retrospective study using publicly available data for Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala between 2012 and 2015. We examined the reported MVC cases and calculated the crude injury, fatality, and mortality rates and their trends over time (α = 0.05). Publicly available data reported 12,020 MVC-related injuries and 431 MVC-related deaths involving 0 to 14-year-olds. The most frequent mechanisms involved 0 to 14-year-olds as passengers or pedestrians in MVCs (>85% of all cases). The highest crude MVC-related injury and mortality rates were reported for Panama (119.35 and 2.14 per 100,000 population, respectively, in 0 to 14-years-olds), while Guatemala had the highest median MVC-related fatality rate (8.84 per 100,000 events; χ2 [2] = 377.8; p < 0.001) with a statistically significant trend increasing over time (r = 0.947; p = 0.027). Although several factors play a role in the prevention of MVCs among 0 to 14-year-olds, we found that Costa Rica was the only country that implemented a policy on child restraint systems resulting in the lowest rates of MVC-related injury, mortality, and fatality. These results could be used by decision makers from the aforementioned Central American countries to develop adequate policies addressing MVC preventative strategies to protect Central American infants and children.

Traffic Accidents in Children and Adolescents: A Complex Orthopedic and Medico-Legal Approach

“…A prior investigation on infant and childhood road safety in Panama revealed that road-related mortality in infants and children is an important health issue, with the largest percentage of fatal outcomes documented for children under the age of five. Globally, the average yearly motor-vehicle-collision-related fatality rate (per million people) for 0 to 14 year olds is 6, while in Latin America, it is 32 [ 26 ].…”

“…Research has shown that proper implementation of CRSs decreases fatalities among infants and children, as well as trauma magnitude and frequency, and therefore accident-related consequences and impairment in this highly susceptible group [ 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 ]. Although Costa Rica has enacted a regulation requiring the application of CRSs, Panama and Guatemala do not possess laws for CRSs that conform with worldwide requirements [ 26 ].…”

Assessment of the Clinical and Nosological Characteristics of Traffic Injuries in Children as a Medical and Sanitary Consequence of a Man Made Emergency Situation

“…Injuries to children receive considerable attention worldwide [1,[3][4][5]. Road traffi c injuries are the leading cause of death and disability not only among adults, but also among children [1,3,4,[6][7][8][9][10]. Taking into account the current Ukrainian legislation, road traffi c accidents are considered an emergency situation in Ukraine (clause 1.6 of article 2 of the Code of Civil Protection of Ukraine [11]).…”