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Aims: To analyze the association between alcohol intake and the severity of injuries sustained from traffic accidents on a Mexican highway., Design: An observational unit evaluated drivers involved in auto accidents., Setting: Mexico-Cuernavaca Highway, Mexico. A 60 km-long road with many altitude variations and sharp curves., Participants: Three hundred and eighty-six drivers involved in traffic accidents between March and September, 1994., Measurements: A questionnaire was applied to the driver, an occupant or witness at the site of the accident to collect information about the driver, vehicle characteristics, type of accident, day-night occurrence, road section (Mexico-Cuernavaca or Cuernavaca-Mexico) and weather conditions. A physical examination was carried out to determine the presence and severity of injuries., Findings: There were 177 injured people, including 12 deaths, with rates of 67.5 injuries and 4.58 deaths per 10,000 km driven. Variables associated with alcohol intake (p < 0.05) included: severity of injuries, non-use of seat belt, vehicle size and occurrence at night. Risk factors for severe injuries were: alcohol intake (adjusted OR 6.1 CI 95% 1.6-24.0); non-use of seat belt (OR 4.9 CI 2.2-10.8), age < 25 years (OR 3.6 CI 1.0-12.7), age > 54 years (OR 6.0 CI 1.4-25.0), speed > 90 km/h (OR 2.6 CI 1.1-6.3) and occurrence at night (OR 2.6 CI 1.3-5.3)., Conclusions: Alcohol intake is a major risk factor for severe injuries from highway traffic accidents. Its association with other risk factors such as non-use of seat belt and excessive speed suggests the importance of designing interventions aimed at reducing alcohol intake among automobile drivers.

Traffic accidents are a well-known public health problem worldwide. In Mexico research into risk factors for motor involving vehicles accidents and their consequences has recently been taken into account. The relevant literature does not normally describe the methodological aspects involved in the collection of primary data, since most studies have used secondary data the good quality and validity of which are assumed. The paper presented seeks to discuss and share with researchers in this field, some of the methodological aspects to be considered in the attempt to recreate the scene of the accident and obtain information approximating to reality. The measurements in situ of, such traffic accident variables as injury, use of seat belt, speed and alcohol intake are discussed.

Objective: To analyze the association between the severity of car accident injuries and the use of safety belts., Material and Methods: The unit of observation and analysis was car drivers in the Mexico-Cuernavaca toll highway. Variables included were those of car drivers, the vehicles and the physical environment at the accident site. Statistical analysis was carried out by means of chi square, odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals and logistic regression. Data was collected in 422 questionnaires for 324 accident events., Results: There were 177 injured people, including 12 deaths, with rates of 67.5 injuries and 4.58 deaths per 10 000 kilometers driven. Variables associated with not using a safety belt (p < 0.05) were: alcohol drinking, vehicle size, night-time and road section. Risk factors for severe injuries were: not using a safety belt (raw OR 4.9, 95% CI 2.2-10.8, adjusted OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.13-7.66); age < 25 years (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.0-12.7) and > 54 (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.4-25.0); alcohol drinking (OR 10.8, 95% CI 3.8-30.4); and night time (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4-5.8)., Conclusions: Theses findings suggest the need to formulate interventions aimed at enforcing the use of safety belts and prevention of related factors.

Unlabelled: A study of homicide in the population of Mexico, was undertaken for the purpose of discovering the mortality panorama by this cause during 1979-1992. Homicide mortality trends were analyzed, as well as the main causes by age and sex. Rate by cause and sex were also analyzed using a Poisson Regression model. The variables were: age, sex, year, external cause of intentional injuries ICD 9th. E960-E969., Results: The total number of deaths due to homicide was 198,485. Each day 35 persons die in Mexico as a result of homicide. Men were more affected than women with a RR of 10.1 and CI (95%) 14.9-16.0, adjusted for age. The main cause 56% was homicide by fire-arms and explosives. The high relative risk was for those aged from 35 to 39 with an RR of 15.4 CI 14.9-16.0. To the cause assault by other and unspecified means, the elderly population has a RR of 21.2 IC 19.7-22.9. Further research in the area and prevention should make use of a multidisciplinary approach in considering the multiple causes and solutions to this problem.

A study was conducted in children under five years old, in order to establish the association between the mother's work and the severity of unintentional injuries. The study was carried out at the emergency room of six pediatric hospitals in Mexico City. Cases were children with major injuries that required hospitalization, intensive care, surgery, or who died as a result of the injury. Controls were children of similar age, with minor injuries resolved at the emergency room. Sample size was 350 cases and 350 controls. Variables were grouped according to: mother's occupation; characteristics of the child, socioeconomic status, child care, and those related with home risk factors. Results showed a protective effect on severity of injuries when the mother worked outside home in comparison to mothers who do not work, (or 0.79, 95%CI 0.57-1.07). No differences were found with respect to sex and age of children. Mother age under 24 years old and low schooling (< 3 years of elementary school) were statistically significant with a risk of major injuries (or 2.30, 95%CI 1.5-3.4). Delay of demand of medical care after 60 minutes of injury occurrence is related with a risk of major injury (or 1.68, 95% CI 1.2-2.3). No differences related with household risk factors were found. Results provide valuable information about risk factors related with injury severity and the association with mother's work.

Introduction: The main objective was to determine the risk factors involved in unintentional injuries in children under 10 years old occurring at home., Material and Methods: A Case Control study was conducted in the emergency room of three pediatrics hospitals in Mexico City. The sample size was 160 cases and 320 controls., Results: Boys were more affected than girls (OR) 1.7, C.I. (95%) 1.2-2.5. The age group more affected was two-three years old (OR) 1.6, C.I.1.1-2.2. When children play outside home (roof, stairs, patio) the risk was OR 2.48, C.I. 1.63-3.76. If mother is not encharged of children care (OR) 2.9, C.I. 1.8-4.8. The age > 40 years old of the person encharged of children care (OR) 2.2, C.I. 1.4-3.5., Conclusions: The results showed us how necessary is to develop injury prevention programs especially to implement passive measures, with target populations people encharged of children care.

A case-control study was carried out, aimed at identifying and defining the individual, family, household and childcare social support network characteristics, more likely to be associated with the occurrence of accidental home injuries in 0-9 year-old children. This study was carried out in the emergency units of three pediatric hospitals in the Federal District. In this article we report the results of the descriptive analysis only of the cases. The results were as follows: male children (62%) and the one and two year-old children group (37%) were the most affected. Contusions, head injuries and fractures occupied the first three places, the main three causes being falls from one level to another (mainly in stairways and off the bed) falls on the same level (sliding, tripping or stumbling) and burns with boiling liquids (most frequently boiling water for bathing). A history of injuries was documented in only 15% of cases. Thirty nine percent of cases requested medical attention after one hour of the accident; 51% of these were hospitalized. In 25% of cases, the mother worked outside the home, being absent from 6 to 12 hours. Risk factors occurring most frequently were: unprotected electricity inlets (40%); products within reach of children: cleaning products (38%), makeup products (34%), plastic bags (30%) and tools (30%); lack of protection rails for cradles (30%) and for staircases (48%), and free access to roofs (44%). In 62 percent of cases some care was provided in the house of the injured child; twenty six percent counted on a support network, and 3 percent were by themselves. We present some proposals for epidemiologic and health services research, and stress the necessity to implement health education, social security and health services policies to favorably influence the solution of these problems.