Prevalence of alcohol among drivers, riders and pedestrians injured in road traffic crashes in Cameroon: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study aims to determine the prevalence of alcohol among injured road traffic crash victims (motor vehicle drivers, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians) admitted to three major health centers in Cameroon (one in Douala and two in Yaoundé). This study also investigated the associations between alcohol use and some socio-demographic and injury characteristics among injured road users, such as gender and age, level of education, religion, type of road user, time of day and week, and injury severity. Alcohol use was measured using breathalyzers, and data on age, gender, education level, religion, type of road user, time of the crash, crash characteristics, and injury severity were recorded using a questionnaire. Of the 350 participants, 30.9% had blood alcohol concentrations (BACAC s) above 0.08% (legal limit for drivers); the proportion was highest among motorcycle riders (36.5%), followed by pedestrians (24.8%) and motor vehicle drivers (18.9%). The proportion with BACAC above 0.08% was highest on weekend nights and among those who were most seriously injured. Those who reported being Muslims had a lower prevalence of alcohol. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed those associations. Many road traffic injuries could have been avoided if the patient had not consumed alcohol. Actions should therefore be taken to reduce the proportion of alcohol-impaired road users.