Prevalence and regional correlates of road traffic injury among Chinese urban residents: A 21-city population-based study

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study estimated the prevalence of road traffic injury among Chinese urban residents and examined individual and regional-level correlates.

Method: A cross-sectional multistage process was used to sample residents from 21 selected cities in China. Survey respondents reported their history of road traffic injury in the past 12 months through a community survey. Multilevel, multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify injury correlates.

Results: Based on a retrospective 12-month reporting window, road traffic injury prevalence among urban residents was 13.2%. Prevalence of road traffic injury, by type, was 8.7, 8.7, 8.5, and 7.7% in the automobile, bicycle, motorcycle, and pedestrian categories, respectively. Multilevel analysis showed that prevalence of road traffic injury was positively associated with minority status, income, and mental health disorder score at the individual level. Regionally, road traffic injury was associated with geographic location of residence and prevalence of mental health disorders.

Conclusions: Both individual and regional-level variables were associated with road traffic injury among Chinese urban residents, a finding whose implications transcend wholesale imported generic solutions. This descriptive research demonstrates an urgent need for longitudinal studies across China on risk and protective factors, in order to inform injury etiology, surveillance, prevention, treatment, and evaluation.

KEYWORDS:

• Road traffic injury
• regional correlates
• China

Funding

This study was partly funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Major Project, 71490733), the National Nature Science Foundation of China (71473221), and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant R49CE002109). The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Author contributions

T.Y. and I.R. designed the study. S.J., L.Y., S.P., and X.Y. collected the data. T.Y., Q.Y., and X.Y. analyzed the data and drafted the article. X.Y., I.R., and Q.Y. revised the article.