Socioeconomic and disability consequences of injuries in the Sudan: a community-based survey in Khartoum State.
BACKGROUND
Fatal and non-fatal injuries are of increasing public health concern globally, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Injuries sustained by individuals also impact society, creating a loss of productivity with serious economic consequences. In Sudan, there is no documentation of the burden of injuries on individuals and society.


METHODS
A community-based survey was performed in Khartoum State, using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling technique. Households were selected in each cluster by systematic random sampling. Face-to-face interviews during October and November 2010 were conducted. Fatal injuries occurring during 5 years preceding the survey and non-fatal injuries occurring during 12 months preceding interviews were included.


RESULTS
The total number of individuals included was 5661, residing in 973 households. There were 28 deaths due to injuries out of a total of 129 reported deaths over 5 years. A total of 441 cases of non-fatal injuries occurred during the 12 months preceding the survey. The number of disability days differed significantly between mechanisms of injury. Road traffic crashes and falls caused the longest duration of disability. Men had a higher probability than women of losing a job due to an injury.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the importance of prioritising prevention of road traffic crashes and falls. The loss of productivity in lower socioeconomic strata highlights the need for social security policies. Further research is needed for estimating the economic cost of injuries in Sudan.
Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Overlege Danielsens Hus, Bergen, Norway School of Medicine, Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan.
Sally
S
El Tayeb
Sudanese Public Health Consultancy Group, UK.
Safa
S
Abdalla
Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Ivar
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3386-9688
I
Heuch
Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Overlege Danielsens Hus, Bergen, Norway Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen University College, Bergen, Norway.
Graziella
G
Van den Bergh
D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods; D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology