title: The association between motor vehicle injuries and health-related quality of life: a longitudinal study of a population-based sample in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As many as 3 million US residents are injured in traffic-related incidents every year leaving many victims with disabling conditions. To date, limited numbers of studies have examined the effects of traffic-related injuries on self-reported health. This study aims to examine the association between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and traffic-related injuries longitudinally in a nationally representative sample of US adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a longitudinal study of adult participants (age ≥18) from seven panels (2000-2007) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The dependent variables included the physical and mental components of the SF-12, a measure of self-reported health. The outcome was assessed twice during the follow-up period: round 2 (~4-5 months into the study) and round 4 (~18 months into the study) for 62,298 individuals. Two methods estimate the association between traffic-related injuries and HRQOL: a within person change using paired tests and a between person change using multivariable regression adjusting for age, sex, income and educational level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine hundred and ninety-three participants reported traffic-related injuries during the follow-up period. Compared to their pre-crash HRQOL, these participants lost 2.7 of the physical component score while their mental component did not change. Adjusted results showed significant deficits in the physical component (-2.84, p value = <.001) but not the mental component (-0.07, p value = .83) of HRQOL after controlling for potential confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traffic injuries were significantly associated with the physical component of HRQOL. These findings highlight the individual and societal burden associated with motor vehicle crash-related disability in the United States.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA, Alghnam@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Suliman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alghnam
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palta
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: L Remington
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mullahy
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: S Durkin
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult