Injuries in a problematic socioeconomic context: a population-based study in Réunion, Indian Ocean, 1993-1994. GEAR. Groupement d'Etude sur les Accidents à la Réunion.
BACKGROUND
This study was designed to estimate the incidence and describe the characteristics of injuries during a one-year period in the French island of Réunion, Indian Ocean, a defined geographic population with socioeconomic problems.


METHODS
Cases were injuries from accidents (unintentional injuries), self-inflicted injuries (suicides and attempted suicides), or injuries purposely inflicted by other people, that resulted in hospital admission or death. Patients and injury characteristics were recorded prospectively, alternately every other week, in all emergency rooms on the island; all death certificates were studied.


RESULTS
The overall annual incidence of injuries was 1578 per 100,000 residents. The three main causes of injury were (i) falls on the same level (23.6%), (ii) poisoning (23.0%) and (iii) traffic accidents (21.5%). Of the traffic accident cases, 44% were motorcyclists (mostly mopeds) and more than half of the cases were 15-25 years old. Suicides and attempted suicides accounted for 80.9% of poisonings, 35.5% of immediately fatal injuries, and 19.6% of non-fatal injuries. Homicides and assaults accounted for 8.3% of all injuries. The employment rate was lower for injured patients than in the total Réunion population (standardized ratio for males: 74; P < 0.001). Half of the injured hospitalized patients had an Injury Severity Score < 5 and 8 days after hospitalization, 83.5% of patients had returned home.


CONCLUSIONS
Injury epidemiology may be affected by different demographic, socioeconomic, cultural and geographical factors. Targeted studies are therefore necessary to guide injury prevention measures.
Masson
F
F
Département d'Anesthésie Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Bordeaux, France.
Savès
M
M
Salmi
L R
LR
Bourdé
A
A
Henrion
G
G
Erny
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019156:Indian Ocean; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality