Epidemiology of nonfatal accidents in Iran

Abstract

Introduction Accidents are the first leading cause of death and injuries in Iran. However, specific data regarding nonfatal accidents are rare. The Purpose of this descriptive study was to identify an epidemiologic pattern of nonfatal accidents in Iran in 2004. Materials and Methods 16740637 subjects were randomly selected over 1 year from 111626 families in 28 provinces. From each province, 2000 urban and 2000 rural families were selected. A questionnaire in 2 parts including demographic and accident as well as injury items was used for data collection after identifying its validity and reliability. The tool was completed by trained coworkers in the same condition. Results More than 9.2 million accidents occurred annually in the country with 36985 deaths and 73657 injuries leading to hospitalization. The prevalence of different nonfatal accidents was 444.3 in 100,000. The most prevalent accidents were traffic (237), falls (160.2) and impact (98.6) in 100,000 people. The prevalence was more in men than women with approximately equal amount in urban and rural areas. Conclusion Accidents are one of the most significant reasons of injuries and hospitalization in the country. Traffic accident rate is high compared with other countries. Therefore, planning and organizing preventive measures in this regard as a health priority and a key factor in promoting safety is recommended. Keywords : Epidemiology, Nonfatal accidents, Urban and rural areas.