PERSIAN Traffic Safety and Health Cohort: a study protocol on postcrash mental and physical health consequences

Abstract

BackgroundCohort studies play essential roles in assessing causality, appropriate interventions. The study, Post-crash Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN Traffic Safety and Health Cohort, aims to investigate the common health consequences of road traffic injuries (RTIs) postcrash through multiple follow-ups.MethodsThis protocol study was designed to analyse human, vehicle and environmental factors as exposures relating to postcrash outcomes (injury, disability, death, property damage, quality of life, etc). Population sources include registered injured people and followed up healthy people in precrash cohort experienced RTIs. It includes four first-year follow-ups, 1 month (phone-based), 3 months (in-person, video/phone call), 6 and 12 months (phone-based) after crash. Then, 24-month and 36-month follow-ups will be conducted triennially. Various questionnaires such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire, WHO Disability Assessment Schedules, Cost-related Information, etc are completed. Counselling with a psychiatrist and a medical visit by a practitioner are provided accompanied by extra tools (simulator-based driving assessment, and psychophysiological tests). Through preliminary recruitment plan, 5807, 2905, 2247 and 1051 subjects have been enrolled, respectively at the baseline, first, second and third follow-ups by now. At baseline, cars and motorcycles accounted for over 30% and 25% of RTIs. At first follow-up, 27% of participants were pedestrians engaged mostly in car crashes. Around a fourth of injuries were single injuries. Car occupants were injured in 40% of collisions.DiscussionThe study provides an opportunity to investigate physical-psychosocial outcomes of RTIs, predictors and patterns at follow-up phases postinjury through longitudinal assessments, to provide advocates for evidence-based safety national policy-making.

Psychometric properties of the 12-item WHODAS applied through phone survey: an experience in PERSIAN Traffic Cohort

“…This study was conducted in a clinical population. The source population of the study were RTIs survivors enrolled from post-crash traffic safety and health cohort study [ 18 ]. All participants hospitalized in one of two referral trauma centers, Shohada and Imam Reza, in Tabriz, were followed up through the cohort study at six months after crash.…”

“…To assess this, we had a great opportunity of a cohort study. This setting helps to apply the tool and assess its psychometric properties through national cohort platform of Post-crash Traffic Safety and Health Cohort Study, P rospective E pidemiological R esearch S tudy in I r AN (PERSIAN) [ 17 , 18 ]. Then the key action was to apply reliable and valid tools in measuring the outcomes of RTIs such as functioning difficulties, a common consequence.…”

The Factor Structure and Generalizability of the Iranian Socioeconomic Status (SES) Questionnaire Administered in a Nationally Divergent Population

“…In the present study, education level and income status were loaded in the factor. These items have been used together in several studies ( 7 , 24 - 27 )to accurately measure the SES, while some studies have used these items independently( 28 , 29 ). Therefore, there is the possibility of some errors in measuring the main variable.…”

PERSIAN traffic safety and health cohort: a population-based precrash cohort study

“…The PTSHC has two separate parts; the population-based cohort for precrash and the registered-based cohort for postcrash. The postcrash cohort data are presented in a related article 19. Other than human-related assessments which are robustly evaluated, precrash PTSHC also measures and controls for the effects of vehicle safety, vehicle use and land-use in traffic injury causality network.…”

“…The postcrash cohort data are presented in a related article. 19 Other than human-related assessments which are robustly evaluated, precrash PTSHC also measures and controls for the effects of vehicle safety, vehicle use and land-use in traffic injury causality network. Furthermore, considering that this cohort is a household based, it provides an opportunity to examine the status of family aggregation in various traffic issues, including high-risk behaviour.…”