| Background:
Our aim in this survey was to explore descriptive epidemiology of injuries in
Tehran in 2012 and to report the recalled estimates of injury incidence rates.
Methods:
A population survey was conducted in Tehran during 2012, within which a total
of 8626 participants were enrolled. The cluster sampling was used to draw samples in 100
clusters with a pre-specified cluster size of 25 households per cluster. Data were collected
on demographic features, accident and injury characteristics based on the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD10).
Results:
A total of 618 injuries per 3 months were reported, within which 597 cases (96.6%)
were unintentional injuries. More than 82% of all injuries were those caused by exposure to
inanimate mechanical forces, traffic accidents, falls and burns. Above 80% of the traffic injuries
happened among men (
P
< 0.001). About 43% of the unintentional injuries were mild injuries.
After the age of 40, women, unlike men, had higher risks for being injured. The estimated
annual incidence rate for all types of injuries was 284.8 per 1000 (95% CI: 275.4-294.4) and
for unintentional injuries was 275.2 per 1000.
Conclusion:
Injuries are major health problems in Tehran with a highly reported incidence. The
status is not substantially improved over the recent years which urges the need to be adequately
and emergently addressed. As the incidence rate was estimated based on participant recalls, the
real incidence rate may even be higher than those reported in the current study. |