A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF TRAFFIC RISK-FACTORS AND CHILD PEDESTRIAN INJURY

Background. Pedestrian injuries in children constitute an important ca use of mortality and morbidity. Specific hazards which contribute to t hese injuries need to be identified to enable the development of preve ntive strategies. Methods. A population-based case-control study was c onducted in which 40 aspects of traffic and road environment that cont ribute to the likelihood of childhood pedestrian injury were examined. The factors of interest were measured at 100 places of injury and 200 control sites between December 1991 and December 1993. Results. The v olume of traffic (odds ratio [OR] = 2.16 for an increase of 100 vehicl es per hour) in combination with the proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit (OR = 1.04) for each 1% increase in average speed, and the presence of footpaths (OR = 11.0) were associated with significan t increase in the risk of injury. A graded inverse relationship was pr esent between socioeconomic status and the odds of pedestrian injury. Conclusions. These findings have obvious implications for public healt h as features of the physical environment are potentially modifiable.