title: [Land transport injuries among emergency department visits in the state of São Paulo, in 2005].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the characteristics of visits resulting from land transport injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 5,934 visits in four hospital emergency departments (ED) were analyzed, in the state of São Paulo, in 2005. A questionnaire based on the following three models was used to collect data: World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Variables analyzed were as follows: type of road user (vehicle occupant, pedestrian, motorcyclist, and cyclist), sex, age group, and type of injury suffered. Logistic regression analysis was employed to test associations between variables. Odds ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of victims were males (74.2%) in the 20-to-29-year age group (35.0%). Vulnerable road users totaled 72.4% of all cases (29.8% were motorcyclists, 24.1% pedestrians, and 18.5% cyclists). Victims aged between zero and 14 years who had suffered injuries were mostly pedestrians and cyclists; motorcyclists predominated among those aged between 15 and 39 years; and pedestrians among those aged over 50 years. About half of the cases suffered minor injuries (strains, dislocations, contusions and cuts), while the other half was comprised by fractures, traumatic brain injuries and internal injuries. Extremities were the most affected body parts, particularly among motorcyclists. The majority of victims were discharged at triage (87.6%). Compared to women, men were 1.5 times more likely to be admitted or transferred, or to die. Pedestrians, vehicle occupants and motorcyclists were, respectively, 2.7, 2.4 and 1.9 times more likely to be admitted or transferred, or to die than cyclists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measures aimed to protect vulnerable road users should be among the priorities to reduce land transport-related injuries.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Vigilância Epidemiológica, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. gawry@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Vilma Pinheiro
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Gawryszewski
authors.forename: Herlander Manoel Mendes
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scarpelini
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zan
authors.forename: Maria Helena Prado de Mello
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jorge
authors.forename: Eugênia Maria Silveira
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014186:Transportation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult