Road safety compliance among motorcyclists in Kawempe Division, Kampala, Uganda: a cross-sectional study

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users in Uganda and 21.7% (3912/18,016) experienced crashes in 2012. This study determined the prevalence of and factors associated with compliance to selected road safety measures (helmet use, retro-reflective jackets use, riding permit and carrying one passenger) among commercial motorcyclists in Kawempe, from April to June 2014 using interviewer administered questionnaires. Total compliance was 0.9% and 24.4% to at least 3/4 measures. Compliance by measure was; 7.6% retroreflective jackets, 28.8% riding permits, 69.4% helmet use and 86.1% carrying one passenger. The associated factors were; knowing that (training before one starts to ride prevents crashes, Adjusted-odds-ratio (AOR) = 2.38 (1.36–4.19), maintaining the motorcycle in good condition prevents crashes, AOR = 0.34 (0.15–0.77) and padding reduces impact of road traffic injury, AOR = 0.37 (0.15–0.89)). Prevalence to compliance is very low. Road safety messages should highlight the importance of all road safety measures to improve compliance

Firearm violence: a neglected Global Health issue.

Abstract Populations around the world are facing an increasing burden of firearm violence on mortality and disability. While firearm violence affects every country globally, the burden is significantly higher in many low- and middle-income countries. However, despite overwhelming statistics, there is a lack of research, reporting, and prioritization of firearm violence as a global public health issue, and when attention is given it is focused on high-income countries. This paper discusses the impact of firearm violence, the factors which shape such violence, and how it fits into global public health frameworks in order to illustrate how firearm violence is a global health issue which warrants evidence-based advocacy around the world

Economic development and road traffic fatalities in Russia: analysis of federal regions 2004–2011

© 2015, He et al. Background: The relationship between economic development and road safety at sub-national level has not been well established. This study aims to assess the relationships between economic growth (measured by gross regional product (GRP)) and road traffic fatalities (RTFs) and crash fatality ratio (CFR) at sub-national level in Russia. Methods: We used published secondary data on annual RTFs and CFR obtained from the traffic police and socioeconomic development indicators from the statistics department for each Russian federal region (referred to in Russia as “subject”) for 2004–2011. We used multivariate fixed effects models for longitudinal data to examine the GRP-RTF and the GRP-CFR relationships excluding regions with extreme values. Time (in years) and a set of relevant socioeconomic variables (territory, population, number of privately owned cars, number of public buses, length of public motor roads, number of physicians, and budget expenditure on health care and physical wellness) were also included as covariates in the models. Results: The RTF rates decreased monotonically over time as GRP per capita increased in 66 studied regions during 2004–2011. This relationship was mainly explained by the number of privately owned cars and partially explained by year dummy variables, number of buses, and number of physicians. CFR also decreased monotonically as GRP per capita increased in 67 studied regions. This relationship between economic growth and CFR was fully explained by secular time trends. The year dummy effects on CFR were not mediated by other socioeconomic variables included in the study. Conclusions: For the period of 2004–2011 in Russia, the reduction in RTFs is mostly explained by increasing the number of private cars, while the reduction of CFR is mostly associated with year-effects suggesting a process of diffusion of knowledge, which is not solely dominated by economic growth

Monitoring the Decade of Action for Global Road Safety 2011–2020: An update

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) was set up in 2004 in response to the recognised need for the United Nations (UN) system to encourage efforts to address the global road safety crisis. In 2010, the UN General Assembly Resolution 64/255 declared 2011–2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety with the overarching goal of stabilising and reducing the forecasted number of road traffic deaths by increasing activities at national, regional and global levels. In 2011, a Plan of Action for the Decade of Action, a tool to support the development of national and local plans of action, was launched. Countries are encouraged to implement activities according to the five pillars set out by the Plan of Action. The UNRSC, tasked to evaluate the overall impact of the Decade, developed and populated indicators for each pillar. Currently, 36 of 38 proposed indicators are populated by baseline data for 2010 from the second Global status report for road safety. However, gaps exist in data quality and availability on a global level. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improving data quality and availability to measure the progress of the Decade of Action

Mothers\u27 perception of childhood injuries, child supervision and care practices for children 0-5 years in a peri-urban area in Central Uganda; Implications for prevention of childhood injuries

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Injuries are a major concern in childhood. They are especially associated with high morbidity, disability and death in low-income countries. This study aimed at describing mothers\u27 perceptions, child supervision and care practices for children 0-5 years old and how these influence prevention of childhood injuries among children in peri-urban areas of Wakiso district, Uganda. Methods: In this qualitative study, 10 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions were held with mothers of children aged 0-5 years living in peri-urban areas of Wakiso district, Uganda. The interviews were audio recorded in the local language (Luganda). The audios were transcribed verbatim and later translated into English. We conducted thematic analysis for transcripts from the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Results: Most respondents considered injuries as inevitable events among children, although, they acknowledged the impact of injuries on children\u27s health. Close child supervision was highlighted as key in preventing injuries. Hostile situations that place children at increased risk of injuries in this setting include: lack of adult supervision, harsh punishments and lack of safe play areas. Conclusion: Our study highlights the different aspects of child care in low resource settings which put children at an increased risk of injuries. Injury prevention programs for children living in low resource settings should thus be aimed towards improving caregivers\u27 perceptions towards injuries, child supervision, care practices and the children play environment

Addressing cancer prevention and control in Armenia: tobacco control and mHealth as key strategies

© 2021, The Author(s). This paper focuses on the particular challenges in cancer prevention and control (CPC) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In particular, this paper extrapolates challenges and opportunities in Armenia, which has the 2nd highest rate of cancer-related deaths in the world, the 11th highest smoking prevalence among men globally, and an evolving health system infrastructure for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control, including CPC. Despite significant progress in enhancing research capacity in Armenia over the past decade, additional efforts are needed, particularly in CPC-related research. Key opportunities are to advance tobacco control and utilization of mHealth. Public health training programs remain insufficient in the area of CPC, and in-country research expertise regarding CPC and related areas (e.g., tobacco control, mHealth, policy) is limited, particularly given the need to address the diverse and complex determinants of onset, prevention, and management of cancer. Moreover, critical gaps in research dissemination and knowledge translation from evidence to policy and practice continue to exist. Thus, public health infrastructure must be enhanced, in-country CPC leaders across various relevant disciplines must be further developed and supported, and medical and public health training must more fully integrate CPC and research dissemination and translation to inform policy and practice

Incidence, patterns and risk factors for injuries among Ugandan children

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. There is limited epidemiological data on childhood injuries in developing countries. This study assessed the incidence, patterns and risk factors for injuries among children aged 0–5 years in Wakiso District, Uganda. To determine differences, chi-square and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used. Risk factors were assessed using Poisson regression. Overall, information from 359 children of mean age 32 months (SD: 18.4) was collected. Annual incidence of injuries was 69.8 per 1000 children/year (95% CI 58.8–80.8). One fatal injury due to burns was reported. Incidence of injuries was less associated with being female (IRR: 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.90) and increasing age of the caretaker (IRR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99). The high incidence of childhood injuries necessitates the need for interventions to reduce injuries among children