Education was associated with injuries requiring hospital admission

Abstract

Objectives We describe educational inequalities in the incidence of injuries resulting in hospital admission and explore the contribution of exposure variables and chronic diseases, alcohol consumption, and sedative use to the observed inequalities. Study design and setting Data from the Dutch prospective GLOBE study were linked to the National Hospital Discharge Register after 7 years of follow-up. Results Significantly higher hazard ratios (HRs) of traffic injuries in lower compared with higher educational groups were substantially reduced after adjustment for differences in the use of cars and mopeds between these groups. Significantly increased HRs in occupational, home, and sports (OHS) injuries in lower compared with higher educational groups were reduced after adjustment for higher prevalence rates of chronic diseases, very excessive alcohol consumption, and sedative use in lower educational groups. Conclusion Exposure variables, chronic diseases, alcohol consumption, and sedative use contribute to educational inequalities in traffic and OHS injuries resulting in hospital admission.