Mortality in traffic accidents with older adults in Colombia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To analyze the traffic accident mortality in the Colombian older adults during the 1998-2012 period and show the loss of productive years and mortality from this cause.METHODS Quantitative study of the trend analysis of deaths in Colombia in traffic accidents, from 1998 to 2012, according to death records and population projected by the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics. Frequency distribution profile of the deceased, death rates per hundred thousand inhabitants, potential years of life lost and calculation of excess mortality by age in the over 60 were made.RESULTS In the study period 100,758 deaths occurred in traffic accidents, 6,717 annual average, of which 18.5% occurred in people aged 60 years and over. The predominated deaths were men; the risk of dying was 32.15 per hundred thousand people in this age range, with double risk of dying those under 60 years.CONCLUSIONS The young population has a higher proportion of deaths, but those over 60 years are at increased risk of death, leading to the need to turn our gaze to the improvement of road infrastructure and standards, to educate the population in self-care and compliance with safety measures and prepare society for an ever more adult population, more numerous and more prone to take risks.

Eskişehir’de Yaşlılık Dönemi Ölümlü Trafik Kazalarının 20 Yıllık Analizi

“…In studies conducted on all age groups who are involved in traffic accidents, it is known that male population die more frequently in traffic accidents (1,2,5,16,17,18). In a study conducted in Egypt, it was reported that 53.8% of the cases who had traffic accidents over the age of 65 were males (1).…”

Lesiones por accidentes de tránsito en una institución de salud en el municipio de Pereira entre los años 2014-2017

“…Las lesiones causadas por los accidentes de tránsito dependen específicamente de una biomecánica, la cual va ligada a la velocidad y a la cantidad de energía que se imparta desde el vehículo en movimiento. En el atropellamiento automovilístico como uno de los tipos de accidente más frecuente, uno de los principales afectados es el peatón, que en gran proporción sufre las lesiones en la parte inferior del cuerpo (18,19) . Dato que se encuentra relacionado con lo encontrado en el presente estudio, donde las lesiones en los miembros inferiores obtuvieron una representatividad significativa.…”

Craniofacial trauma in older adults victims of road traffic accidents: a cross-sectional study

“…Regarding the distribution according to gender, male individuals were the most affected by road traffic accidents, confirming previous findings. 6,14 This high prevalence of cases may be related to the fact that men are more exposed to traffic, assuming greater risks that compromise well-being. 15 In the present study, individuals at the age group of 60-69 years were the most involved in road traffic accidents, similar to another study.…”

“…3 It is well known that several natural functions such as motor, cognitive and sensory decline with time in this population 4 , causing hospital admissions due to external causes, such as falls and road traffic accidents 5 , since they are associated with greater vulnerability due to advanced age. 6 Among external causes responsible for hospital admissions of older adults, road traffic accidents stand out and are characterized by involving pedestrians, motorcyclists, drivers and passengers in vehicles. 7 Responsible for about 1.24 million deaths worldwide each year 6 , road traffic accidents are among the main causes of death in the young and adult population, contributing even to increase the mortality rates of the elderly population.…”

“…6 Among external causes responsible for hospital admissions of older adults, road traffic accidents stand out and are characterized by involving pedestrians, motorcyclists, drivers and passengers in vehicles. 7 Responsible for about 1.24 million deaths worldwide each year 6 , road traffic accidents are among the main causes of death in the young and adult population, contributing even to increase the mortality rates of the elderly population. 8 In Brazil, the elderly population is not usually a priority in the approach related to accidents with external causes due to the predominance of young people involved in higher number of accidents.…”