Variations in Sub-National Road Traffic Fatality Trends in a Low-Income Country.

Variations in sub-national road traffic fatality trends in a low-income country.

Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2013 Jan; 3(1): 25-30
Bhatti JA, Khoso AK, Waseem H, Khan UR, Razzak JA

In most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), road traffic fatality (RTF) trends are presented in aggregated form at the national level. This practice omits important information regarding RTF risk at sub-national levels.This ecological study assesses the extent of RTF variations at different sub-national levels in Pakistan, a low-income country.Based on official statistics, significant variations in three RTF indicators i.e. per population, per registered vehicles, and per crash were compared by regression analyses at two sub-national levels i.e. provincially (2000-2009) and district-wise (2004).The national RTF counts are based on data from four provinces. From 2000 to 2009, RTF per population and per registered vehicles decreased in all provinces except Balochistan. RTF per crash in Punjab decreased from 0.61 to 0.56 (beta coefficient (?) year = -0.0082, P = <0.001), whereas in Balochistan it increased from 0.40 to 0.58 (? year = 0.0708, P = <0.001) over the same period. District-level comparisons were possible only in Punjab where RTF per crash varied from 0.25 to 2.15 and correlated (? = 0.50, P = 0.003) with RTF per population.Sub-national RTF surveillance is necessary in LMICs like Pakistan in order to prioritize available resources on high-risk jurisdictions such as the Balochistan province and districts of Punjab where high RTF per population and per crash exist. HubMed – addiction

Prevalence and risk factors of Internet addiction in high school students.

Eur J Public Health. 2013 May 30;
Sasmaz T, Oner S, Kurt AO, Yapici G, Yazici AE, Bugdayci R, Sis M

AIM: In this study, the prevalence and risk factors of Internet addiction in high school students was investigated. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Mersin Province in 2012. The study sample consisted of students attending high school in the central district of Mersin. The data were summarized by descriptive statistics and compared by a binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Our study population included 1156 students, among whom 609 (52.7%) were male. The mean age of the students was 16.1 ± 0.9 years. Seventy-nine percent of the students had a computer at home, and 64.0% had a home Internet connection. In this study, 175 (15.1%) students were defined as Internet addicts. Whereas the addiction rate was 9.3% in girls, it was 20.4% in boys (P < 0.001). In this study, Internet addiction was found to have an independent relationship with gender, grade level, having a hobby, duration of daily computer use, depression and negative self-perception. CONCLUSION: According to our study results, the prevalence of Internet addiction was high among high school students. We recommend preventing Internet addiction among adolescents by building a healthy living environment around them, controlling the computer and Internet use, promoting book reading and providing treatment to those with a psychological problem. HubMed – addiction