Legal & social control of alcohol impaired driving and related problems

Thesis (Ph. D. in Sociology)--University of Tsukuba, (A), no. 1781, 1998.3.2

Social and Health Factors Associated with Physical Activity among Kuwaiti College Students

Our aim was to explore the social and health factors that are associated with the level of physical activity among Kuwaiti college students. A random sample of 787 students (48% males and 52% females) was chosen and weight and height were measured to obtain body mass index (BMI, kg/m2). Associated social and health factors were obtained using a questionnaire. Those reporting being physically inactive numbered 354 and the remaining 433 were active. Obesity among males was 13% and was 10.5% among females. The social and health factors that were found to be significantly associated with physical activity among the students were gender (P < .001), marital status (P < .05), BMI category (obese or nonobese) (P < .05), last dental and health checkup (P < .01), desiring a higher degree (P < .001), and countries preferred for visiting (P < .01). Males significantly exceeded females in the practice of physical activity. In conclusion, behavioural modifications, intervention studies, and health education touting the benefits of being physically active should be instituted to increase the practice of sports and other physical activities in order to control and decrease obesity-related morbidity and mortality

Is Blood Alcohol Level a Good Predictor for Injury Severity Outcomes in Motor Vehicle Crash Victims?

Experimental studies in animals suggest that alcohol may influence pathophysiologic response to injury mechanisms. However, biological evidence for the alcohol-injury severity relationship provides conflicting results. The purpose of our retrospective cross-sectional study in 2,323 people was to assess whether blood alcohol level (BAC) adversely influences injury severity in victims of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). We found no difference in mortality OR 1.09 (0.73–1.62), or length of hospital stay, and a trend for lower ISS score was found in the high-alcohol group (P=0.052). Furthermore, the high-alcohol group demonstrated a lower adjusted rate of severe head injury OR 0.65 (0.48–0.87), chest injury OR 0.58 (0.42–0.80), and serious extremity injury OR 0.10 (0.01–0.76). The findings of our study do not demonstrate a dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption and injury severity in MVCs. This study implies that higher BAC may lead to less severe injuries, without impacting mortality or length of hospital stay, however, further research is required to elucidate the nature of this relationship.</jats:p

A política antitabagismo e a variação dos gastos das famílias brasileiras com cigarro: resultados das Pesquisas de Orçamentos Familiares, 2002/2003 e 2008/2009

O estudo teve como objetivo descrever a evolução dos gastos com cigarro das famílias brasileiras e seu peso sobre a renda dessas no período de 2002-2009. Foram utilizados dados da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF) de 2002/2003 e 2008/2009. Foi realizada correção dos valores mediante o Índice de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo (IPCA). A proporção de famílias que tiveram gastos com cigarro reduziu de 23,5% para 18,2%, no período estudado, mas o valor do gasto aumentou de R$55,36 para R$ 59,45. O gasto foi maior à medida que aumentavam a renda e a escolaridade do chefe das famílias. As famílias com maior renda concentram a maior parte desses gastos, apesar da redução de sua contribuição no gasto total com cigarro. O comprometimento da renda na aquisição de cigarros foi de 5,2% no primeiro e de 1,2% no último quinto de renda. A política antitabagismo logrou êxitos na redução da prevalência do tabagismo no Brasil. Porém, medidas econômicas ainda são importantes no contexto nacional, tendo em vista que a parcela da renda e da despesa das famílias comprometida com cigarro apresentou redução

PUBLIC ATTITUDES, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONSEQUENCES OF DRINKING AND DRIVING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Injury is the ninth most common cause of premature death worldwide and the third most common cause of years lived with disability. Many early deaths are related to motor vehicle crashes (MVC's): each year, MVC's kill 1.2 million people (3,242 deaths/day) and injure or disable 20–50 million more. The Global Burden of Disease Study, conducted in the early 1990s, predicted that traffic-related injuries will become the third largest contributor to global death and disability by the year 2020. The identification of effective strategies for the prevention of traffic related injuries is of global health importance. The substantial effect of alcohol on road safety has long been recognized, and a variety of important initiatives to combat this problem have been introduced with some measurable success. Canadians have rated drinking and driving as one of the most important social issues facing them today, placing it ahead of other prominent issues, including health care, pollution, and the state of the economy. Two factors that have contributed strongly to motor vehicle injuries and fatalities in British Columbia (BC) and Canada are alcohol-impaired driving and failure to use seat belts. Drivers who operated motor vehicles after drinking were less likely to wear seat belts, and so they continue to be a major traffic safety concern. When compared to restrained occupants, unrestrained occupants were almost 5 times more likely to die (Odds Ratios (OR) 4.70), or be injured (OR 4.66). Fractures (OR 10.70, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 7.35–15.5), lacerations (OR 7.50, CI 5.55-10.15) bleeding (OR 7.14, CI 4.97–10.26) and concussions (OR 5.49, CI 2.71-11.12), were the more common types of injuries experienced by unrestrained occupants compared to the restrained occupants. Laws mandate the use of safety belts by motor vehicle occupants, and driving under the influence of alcohol is a generic term for a series of offences under the Canadian Criminal Code. Violation of Road Traffic Laws continues to be a serious ‘social problem’ and can often have fatal consequences as demonstrated in this study

THE INJURY SEVERITY RATE DIFFERENCES IN PASSENGER CARS AND PICK UP TRUCKS RELATED TWO VEHICLE INVOLVED MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The effect of large vehicle involvement on motor vehicle crash (MVC) rates and severity has long been a concern in MVC analysis literature. Injuries in drivers and occupants are related to several key factors: the mass of the case vehicle and mass of its collision partner and speed of case vehicle and collision partner at the time of the crash. Objective: To evaluate the relative risk of injury occurrence in collisions between picks up trucks (PU) and passenger sedan cars (PS). Methods: Data from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) crash data base was used to determine MVC rates and injury occurrence. Descriptive characteristics of the injury location and injury type were analyzed comparing the Odds Ratios and chi-squares. Results: PS occupants received more injuries; Odds Ratio was 2.49 (95% confidence interval: 2.15–2.88). Conclusion: Occupants in PS which collide with PU were at twice the risk of injuries. Concussion, whiplash, lacerations and abrasion were more frequent in PS drivers and occupants than in PU drivers and occupants. Overall, PS drivers/occupants experienced greater injuries than PU drivers/occupants in PU-PS collisions. In this paper, results are shown as odds ratios comparing occupants injuries in PS (case group) with occupant injuries in PU (control group)