Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017

Abstract Background Understanding demographic profiles is essential to the assessment of health burden imposed by motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) on pregnant women. However, Asian studies that have examined it are lacking. The study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and prevalence of MV...

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Main Authors: Ya-Hui Chang, Yu-Wen Chien, Chiung-Hsin Chang, Ping-Ling Chen, Tsung-Hsueh Lu, Chang-Ta Chiu, Chung-Yi Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-12-01
Series:Injury Epidemiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-023-00478-x
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author Ya-Hui Chang
Yu-Wen Chien
Chiung-Hsin Chang
Ping-Ling Chen
Tsung-Hsueh Lu
Chang-Ta Chiu
Chung-Yi Li
author_facet Ya-Hui Chang
Yu-Wen Chien
Chiung-Hsin Chang
Ping-Ling Chen
Tsung-Hsueh Lu
Chang-Ta Chiu
Chung-Yi Li
author_sort Ya-Hui Chang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Understanding demographic profiles is essential to the assessment of health burden imposed by motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) on pregnant women. However, Asian studies that have examined it are lacking. The study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and prevalence of MVCs involving pregnant women in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted by the Taiwan Birth Notification dataset from 2008 to 2017 was linked with the police-reported traffic collision registry to identify pregnant women involved in MVCs. The pregnant women were categorized according to their gestational age, age at delivery, the role of road user (driver, passenger, or pedestrian), and vehicle types (car, two-wheeled motor vehicle, or others). A chi-square test was performed for the significance test. Results A total of 22,134 (1.13%) pregnant women were involved in MVCs in the study period. Two-wheeled motor vehicle (47.9%) and driver (81.4%) were the mainly reported vehicle type and road user at the crash scenes, respectively. The majority of MVCs occurred in pregnant women aged 28–34 years. The number of MVCs rapidly declined after 37 weeks of gestation, especially two-wheeled motor vehicle or car crashes. However, the number of pedestrian victims climbed up during the third trimester. Conclusion Pregnant women are susceptible to MVCs regardless of their gestational age, role of a road user, or type of vehicle. The findings of this study emphasize the need for increased awareness of traffic collision prevention among pregnant women aged 28–34. In addition, improving pedestrian safety is essential for the reduction of pregnant victims.
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spelling doaj.art-034c8ec91007441d82bf8817fd403e9b2023-12-24T12:07:39ZengBMCInjury Epidemiology2197-17142023-12-011011810.1186/s40621-023-00478-xProfiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017Ya-Hui Chang0Yu-Wen Chien1Chiung-Hsin Chang2Ping-Ling Chen3Tsung-Hsueh Lu4Chang-Ta Chiu5Chung-Yi Li6Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung UniversityDepartment of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung UniversityGraduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical UniversityDepartment of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung UniversityDepartment of Dentistry, An Nan Hospital, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung UniversityAbstract Background Understanding demographic profiles is essential to the assessment of health burden imposed by motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) on pregnant women. However, Asian studies that have examined it are lacking. The study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and prevalence of MVCs involving pregnant women in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted by the Taiwan Birth Notification dataset from 2008 to 2017 was linked with the police-reported traffic collision registry to identify pregnant women involved in MVCs. The pregnant women were categorized according to their gestational age, age at delivery, the role of road user (driver, passenger, or pedestrian), and vehicle types (car, two-wheeled motor vehicle, or others). A chi-square test was performed for the significance test. Results A total of 22,134 (1.13%) pregnant women were involved in MVCs in the study period. Two-wheeled motor vehicle (47.9%) and driver (81.4%) were the mainly reported vehicle type and road user at the crash scenes, respectively. The majority of MVCs occurred in pregnant women aged 28–34 years. The number of MVCs rapidly declined after 37 weeks of gestation, especially two-wheeled motor vehicle or car crashes. However, the number of pedestrian victims climbed up during the third trimester. Conclusion Pregnant women are susceptible to MVCs regardless of their gestational age, role of a road user, or type of vehicle. The findings of this study emphasize the need for increased awareness of traffic collision prevention among pregnant women aged 28–34. In addition, improving pedestrian safety is essential for the reduction of pregnant victims.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-023-00478-xPregnancyTaiwanTraffic collisionTrimesterType of vehicle
spellingShingle Ya-Hui Chang
Yu-Wen Chien
Chiung-Hsin Chang
Ping-Ling Chen
Tsung-Hsueh Lu
Chang-Ta Chiu
Chung-Yi Li
Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
Injury Epidemiology
Pregnancy
Taiwan
Traffic collision
Trimester
Type of vehicle
title Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
title_full Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
title_fullStr Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
title_full_unstemmed Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
title_short Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017
title_sort profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in taiwan 2008 2017
topic Pregnancy
Taiwan
Traffic collision
Trimester
Type of vehicle
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-023-00478-x
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