Burden of Transport-Related Injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

BACKGROUND: Transport-related injuries (TIs) are a substantial public health concern for all regions of the world. The present study quantified the burden of TIs and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) in 2017 by sex and age. METHODS: TIs and deaths were estimated by age, sex, country, and year using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) and DisMod-MR 2.1. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which quantify the total burden of years lost due to premature death or disability, were also estimated per 100000 population. All estimates were reported along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). RESULTS: In 2017, there were 5.5 million (UI 4.9-6.2) transport-related incident cases in the EMR - a substantial increase from 1990 (2.8 million; UI 2.5-3.1). The age-standardized incidence rate for the EMR in 2017 was 787 (UI 705.5-876.2) per 100000, which has not changed significantly since 1990 (-0.9%; UI -4.7 to 3). These rates differed remarkably between countries, such that Oman (1303.9; UI 1167.3-1441.5) and Palestine (486.5; UI 434.5-545.9) had the highest and lowest age-standardized incidence rates per 100000, respectively. In 2017, there were 185.3 thousand (UI 170.8-200.6) transport-related fatalities in the EMR - a substantial increase since 1990 (140.4 thousand; UI 118.7-156.9). The age-standardized death rate for the EMR in 2017 was 29.5 (UI 27.1-31.9) per 100000, which was 30.5% lower than that found in 1990 (42.5; UI 36.8-47.3). In 2017, Somalia (54; UI 30-77.4) and Lebanon (7.1; UI 4.8-8.6) had the highest and lowest age-standardized death rates per 100,000, respectively. The age-standardised DALY rate for the EMR in 2017 was 1,528.8 (UI 1412.5-1651.3) per 100000, which was 34.4% lower than that found in 1990 (2,331.3; UI 1,993.1-2,589.9). In 2017, the highest DALY rate was found in Pakistan (3454121; UI 2297890- 4342908) and the lowest was found in Bahrain (8616; UI 7670-9751). CONCLUSION: The present study shows that while road traffic has become relatively safer (measured by deaths and DALYs per 100000 population), the number of transport-related fatalities in the EMR is growing and needs to be addressed urgently.

Effect of Health Education Programme on the Knowledge of and Attitude about Sickle Cell Anaemia among Male Secondary School Students in the Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia: Health Policy Implications.

This study was conducted to develop an instructional programme on sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and test the effect of the programme on the secondary school students' knowledge of and attitude towards sickle cell anaemia in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. A pretest/posttest one-arm interventional study was conducted at the Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, with a convenience sample of 120 male students. The intervention consisted of two interactive sessions about sickle cell anaemia and premarital screening. The mean student knowledge score was 6.04 ± 3.02 on the pretest, which improved to 10.73 ± 3.47 on the posttest, with a statistically significant difference (t = 15.2, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the responses pertaining to attitude before and after the health education intervention. The policy implications of these findings are discussed to improve the performance of the Saudi healthcare system in dealing with this costly inherited disease.

Determinants of inhalant (whitener) use among street children in a South Indian city.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2008 among 174 children in observation homes in Hyderabad, India, to estimate the distribution of inhalant (whitener) use among this population. Data were collected using an instrument developed for this purpose. About 61% of the children were boys and their mean age was 12.2 years (range 5-18 years). Whitener use was found in 35% of the children along with concurrent use of other substances. Peer pressure was the commonest cause reported for initiating substance use. The high prevalence is an important concern for the Indian policymakers given the large number of street children in Indian cities.