title: Injury mortality in rural South Africa 2000-2007: rates and associated factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate injury mortality rates in a rural population in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and to identify socio-demographic risk factors associated with adult injury-related deaths.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used population-based mortality data collected by a demographic surveillance system on all resident and non-resident members of 11,000 households. Deaths and person-years of observation (pyo) were aggregated for individuals between 01 January 2000 and 31 December 2007. Cause of death was determined by verbal autopsy, coded using ICD-10 and further categorised using global burden of disease categories. Socio-demographic risk factors associated with injuries were examined using regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analysed data on 133,483 individuals with 717,584.6 person-years of observation (pyo) and 11,467 deaths. Of deaths, 8.9% were because of injury-related causes; 11% occurred in children <15 years old. Homicide, road traffic injuries and suicide were the major causes. The estimated crude injury mortality rate was 142.4 (134.0, 151.4)/100,000 pyo; 116.9 (108.1, 126.5)/100,000 pyo among residents and 216.8 (196.5, 239.2)/100,000 pyo among non-residents. In multivariable analyses, the differences between residents and non-residents remained but were no longer significant for women. In men and women, full-time employment was significantly associated with lower mortality [adjusted rate ratios 0.6 (0.4, 0.9); 0.4 (0.2, 0.9)]; in men, higher asset ownership was independently associated with increased mortality [adjusted rate ratio 1.5 (1.1, 1.9)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reducing the high levels of injury-related mortality in South Africa requires intersectoral primary prevention efforts that redress the root causes of violent and accidental deaths: social inequality, poverty and alcohol abuse.
authors.affiliation: Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Somkhele, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anupam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garrib
authors.forename: Abraham J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hosegood
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Newell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D055815:Young Adult