[Modelling length of hospital stay in motor victims]. / Modelización del tiempo de hospitalización en lesiones por tránsito.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze which socio-demographic and other factors related to motor injuries affect the length of hospital recovery stay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study a sample of 17 932 motor accidents was used. All the crashes occurred in Spain between 2000 and 2007. Different regression models were fitted to data to identify and measure the impact of a set of explanatory regressors. RESULTS: Time of hospital stay for men is on average 41% larger than for women. When the victim has a fracture as a consequence of the accident, the mean time of hospital stay is multiplied by five. Injuries located in lower extremities, the head and abdomen are associated with greater hospitalization lengths. CONCLUSIONS: Gender, age and type of victim, as well as the location and nature of injuries, are found to be factors that have significant impact on the expected length of hospital stay.

Modelización del tiempo de hospitalización en lesiones por tránsito / Modelling length of hospital stay in motor victims

Objetivo. Analizar los factores sociodemográficos y de las lesiones causadas por accidentes de tránsito que influyen en el tiempo de hospitalización de las víctimas. Material y métodos. Muestra transversal de 17 932 eventos de tránsito ocurridos en España entre 2000 y 2007. Se estimaron diferentes modelos de regresión para identificar y medir la influencia de los factores. Resultados. Los hombres tienen un tiempo medio de hospitalización 41% mayor al de las mujeres. La duración de la estancia hospitalaria media aumenta cinco veces cuando existen fracturas. Las lesiones en las extremidades inferiores, la cabeza y el abdomen se asocian con mayores duraciones hospitalarias. Conclusiones. El sexo de la víctima, su edad, la posición que ocupaba en el vehículo en el momento del evento, el tipo de vehículo causante y el tipo y zona de la lesión influyen significativamente en la duración de la estancia hospitalaria.

Objective. To analyze which socio-demographic and other factors related to motor injuries affect the length of hospital recovery stay. Materials and methods. In the study a sample of 17 932 motor accidents was used. All the crashes occurred in Spain between 2000 and 2007. Different regression models were fitted to data to identify and measure the impact of a set of explanatory regressors. Results. Time of hospital stay for men is on average 41% larger than for women. When the victim has a fracture as a consequence of the accident, the mean time of hospital stay is multiplied by five. Injuries located in lower extremities, the head and abdomen are associated with greater hospitalization lengths. Conclusions. Gender, age and type of victim, as well as the location and nature of injuries, are found to be factors that have significant impact on the expected length of hospital stay.

[Scenarios for the impact of immigration on longevity and dependency among the elderly in the Spanish population]. / Escenarios del impacto de la inmigración en la longevidad y la dependencia de los mayores en la población española.

INTRODUCTION: The composition of the Spanish population has recently changed due to immigration. The present study aimed to estimate the magnitude of change in the calculation of healthy life expectancy and life expectancy in disability, taking the population of foreign residents into account. For this population, there is no information on mortality or the prevalence of disability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the 1999 Survey on Disabilities, Handicaps and Health Status to estimate healthy life expectancy and life expectancy in disability using the Sullivan method. Data were taken from the Spanish Statistical Institute and the World Health Organization, Sullivan's method was adapted to the case of two different populations, and possible scenarios were established. RESULTS: The differences between the mortality table estimated for the foreign resident population and that estimated for the Spanish population were considerable and were more evident in women. At 65 years of age and in the worst scenario, which occurs when all the members of the foreign resident population are disabled, life expectancy in disability would be 2 more years for men and 3 more years for women than when the foreign population was not considered. CONCLUSIONS: Our scenarios reveal that the impact of immigration on the calculation of healthy life expectancy and life expectancy in disability is moderate.

[Sociodemographic typologies of individuals with dependence in Spain and healthy life expectancy]. / Tipologías sociodemográficas de individuos con dependencia en España y su supervivencia en estado de salud.

INTRODUCTION: the main objective of this study was to construct indicators that would allow individuals with dependence to be grouped, based on their socioeconomic situation, with special interest in the elderly. MATERIAL AND METHODS: data were taken from the Survey of Disabilities, Deficiencies and Health Status (Spanish National Institute of Statistics). The distinct typologies of dependent individuals were analyzed by means of multivariate statistical techniques. Firstly, the factors that best established differences among individuals with dependence were determined; secondly, the sample was segmented to identify disabled individuals with dependence; and finally, healthy life expectancy and dependent life expectancy after the age of 65 years were calculated for the different groups. RESULTS: the characteristics that best defined individuals with dependence were related to marital status, the care received, economic and work situation, and educational level. With these factors, seven groups for each degree of dependence were defined. The greatest differences in dependent life expectancy were found between pensioners who retired due to age and those who retired due to disability. CONCLUSIONS: the profiles defined and their differences in dependent life expectancy are useful to plan long-term care resources and to quantify the costs of dependency, as well as to create systems that ensure that sufficient resources are used to decrease the differences among the groups of dependent individuals, thus inducing convergence among them.