Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru
Objective. To report demographic and substance use characteristics and risk of road traffic injury (RTI) from alcohol use, cannabis use, and combined use in a sample of emergency department patients from two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods. A cross-sectional study in which pati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pan American Health Organization
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/53349 |
| _version_ | 1818859473262870528 |
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| author | Cheryl J. Cherpitel Jane Witbrodt Yu Ye Maristela G. Monteiro Hernán Málaga Jeannette Báez Marisela Ponce de León Valdés |
| author_facet | Cheryl J. Cherpitel Jane Witbrodt Yu Ye Maristela G. Monteiro Hernán Málaga Jeannette Báez Marisela Ponce de León Valdés |
| author_sort | Cheryl J. Cherpitel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective. To report demographic and substance use characteristics and risk of road traffic injury (RTI) from alcohol use, cannabis use, and combined use in a sample of emergency department patients from two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Methods. A cross-sectional study in which patients 18 years and older admitted within six hours of suffering an RTI to one emergency department in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic (n = 501) and in Lima, Peru (n = 431) were interviewed. Case-crossover analysis, based on self-reported use prior to the RTI, was used to analyze risk from alcohol, cannabis, and co-use.
Results. Overall, 15.3% reported alcohol use prior to the event and 2.5% cannabis use. Drivers using alcohol only were over twice as likely to have an RTI (OR = 2.46, p < 0.001), and nearly eight times more likely if using both alcohol and cannabis (OR = 6.89, p < 0.01), but risk was not elevated for cannabis alone. Significant differences were not found for passengers or pedestrians.
Conclusions. Risk of RTI for drivers in these two samples is significantly elevated from alcohol use, and more so for co-use with cannabis. Differences between the two countries underscore the need for similar data from the region to determine risk of RTI from substance use, including risk for passengers and pedestrians. Data suggest that alcohol contributes significantly to the burden of RTI, which calls for more stringent enforcement of alcohol control policy related to drink driving in the region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T09:12:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09a1a1bd79bb46efbd0c38428bd32719 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1020-4989 1680-5348 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T09:12:44Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Pan American Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| spelling | doaj.art-09a1a1bd79bb46efbd0c38428bd327192022-12-21T20:28:09ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482021-03-0145311910.26633/RPSP.2021.31rpspRoad traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and PeruCheryl J. Cherpitel0Jane Witbrodt1Yu Ye2Maristela G. Monteiro3Hernán Málaga4Jeannette Báez5Marisela Ponce de León Valdés6Alcohol Research Group, Emeryville, Calif., United States of AmericaAlcohol Research Group, Emeryville, Calif., United States of AmericaAlcohol Research Group, Emeryville, Calif., United States of AmericaPan American Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of AmericaRicardo Palma University, Lima, PeruNational Center of Investigations in Maternal Child Health, Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicInter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C., United States of AmericaObjective. To report demographic and substance use characteristics and risk of road traffic injury (RTI) from alcohol use, cannabis use, and combined use in a sample of emergency department patients from two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods. A cross-sectional study in which patients 18 years and older admitted within six hours of suffering an RTI to one emergency department in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic (n = 501) and in Lima, Peru (n = 431) were interviewed. Case-crossover analysis, based on self-reported use prior to the RTI, was used to analyze risk from alcohol, cannabis, and co-use. Results. Overall, 15.3% reported alcohol use prior to the event and 2.5% cannabis use. Drivers using alcohol only were over twice as likely to have an RTI (OR = 2.46, p < 0.001), and nearly eight times more likely if using both alcohol and cannabis (OR = 6.89, p < 0.01), but risk was not elevated for cannabis alone. Significant differences were not found for passengers or pedestrians. Conclusions. Risk of RTI for drivers in these two samples is significantly elevated from alcohol use, and more so for co-use with cannabis. Differences between the two countries underscore the need for similar data from the region to determine risk of RTI from substance use, including risk for passengers and pedestrians. Data suggest that alcohol contributes significantly to the burden of RTI, which calls for more stringent enforcement of alcohol control policy related to drink driving in the region.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/53349accidents, trafficsafetydriving under the influencealcohol drinkingillicit drugsemergency service, hospitallatin americacaribbean region |
| spellingShingle | Cheryl J. Cherpitel Jane Witbrodt Yu Ye Maristela G. Monteiro Hernán Málaga Jeannette Báez Marisela Ponce de León Valdés Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública accidents, traffic safety driving under the influence alcohol drinking illicit drugs emergency service, hospital latin america caribbean region |
| title | Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru |
| title_full | Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru |
| title_fullStr | Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru |
| title_full_unstemmed | Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru |
| title_short | Road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the Dominican Republic and Peru |
| title_sort | road traffic injuries and substance use among emergency department patients in the dominican republic and peru |
| topic | accidents, traffic safety driving under the influence alcohol drinking illicit drugs emergency service, hospital latin america caribbean region |
| url | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/53349 |
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