The impact of structural factors on the injury rate in different European countries.
BACKGROUND
A previous study pointed to there being two kinds of injuries--those with a mainly social genesis and those with a mainly environmental genesis. The aim of this study was to analyse how socioeconomic factors--such as level of economic development, alcohol consumption and unemployment and more cultural factors--such as education and religion--relate to kinds of injury.


METHODS
Motor vehicle traffic accidents were chosen to represent injuries with a predominantly environmental genesis and suicides those with a mainly social genesis. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) complemented by Pearson correlation was employed. The data come from 12 European countries.


RESULTS
Four groups of countries emerged from the analysis. Group 1 was high on both kinds of injuries and was also high on all the independent variables considered. Group 2 was low on social injuries and high on environmental injuries; it had a low level of economic development, high alcohol consumption and a high proportion of Roman Catholics. Group 3 was high on social injuries and low on environmental injuries; it had a high level of economic development, low alcohol consumption and few Roman Catholics. Group 4 was low on both kinds of injuries; the independent variables formed a similar pattern to those of group 3.


CONCLUSIONS
The pattern for traffic fatalities differs from that of suicides. There is also patterning with regard to structural factors; economic level, education and religion seem to be more important with regard to injury rate differentials than alcohol consumption or unemployment.
Melinder
K A
KA
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Sweden.
Andersson
R
R
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*