Determinants of road traffic injuries in Iranian children; results from a National Representative Demographic- Health Survey 2010

BACKGROUND: Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of disabilities and mortalities in Iran. The occurrence of RTIs among children is increasing. This study aims are to assess RTIs among Iranian children and to determine the main socio-economics determinants. METHODS: The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in collaboration with the Iran Ministry of Health (MoH) conducted a nationwide survey: The Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey 2010 (IrMIDHS 2010). The Survey was undertaken by Medical Universities in Iran. Based on multistage clustered randomized sampling, 30,960 households were included in the survey. We performed a multivariate logistic regression to determine the main socio-economic factors associated with RTIs among children. RESULTS: Approximately 0.9% of the children received RTIs in 2010. Main socio-economics contributors to RTIs involving Iranian children included household size (Adjusted OR: 1.06 (CI 95% 1.01, 1.14), sex (Adjusted OR(female): 0.38 (CI 95% 0.29, 0.50), living with both parents (Adjusted OR: 0.55 (CI 95% 0.13, 0.95), being in the 2nd (Adjusted OR: 0.81 (CI 95%: 0.60, 0.90) or 4th income quartile (Adjusted OR: 0.13 (CI 95%: 0.02, 0.92) rather than the 1st income quartile, being aged five to nine (Adjusted OR: 1.39 (CI 95%: 1.10, 2.10), or aged 15 to 18 (Adjusted OR: 2.94 (CI 95%: 2.07, 4.97), and residency in a non- owned or non-tenancy house (Adjusted OR: 0.42 (CI 95%: 0.23 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Children need safe places for playing and doing their daily activities. Policy and regulation development aimed at protecting children from road traffic injuries needs to take into consideration the socio-economic factors associated with risk of road traffic injury among children.