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. 2023 Apr 19;14(6):2313.
doi: 10.4081/jphia.2023.2313. eCollection 2023 Jun 21.

Understanding the factors of road crash severity in Benin: a matched case-control study

Donatien Daddah  1   2 , Yolaine Glèlè Ahanhanzo  1 , Alphonse Kpozehouen  1 , Bella Hounkpe Dos-Santos  1   2 , Emmanuel Bonnet  3 , Alain Levêque  2 , Yves Coppieters  2
Affiliations

Understanding the factors of road crash severity in Benin: a matched case-control study

Donatien Daddah et al. J Public Health Afr. .

Abstract

Background: In Benin, due to the unavailability of comprehensive data on road crashes, road safety policies are mainly based on partial statistics provided by the police. These remain unreliable in terms of injury severity and risk factors. This study aims to determine the factors influencing the severity of injuries after a road crash in Benin.

Methods: The present nested case-control study, matched for age and sex, was based on a hospital cohort of road crash victims set up in five hospitals in Benin between July 2019 and January 2020. A sample of severely injured patients according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (cases) was compared to non-severely injured patients (controls).

Results: The severe crash occurred mainly during the night between 8 p.m. and midnight (36.2% of cases vs. 24.4% of controls) and on main roads (57.8% of cases vs. 34.7% of controls). Factors associated with injury severity were the time of the crash: night between 8 p.m. and midnight [Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR): 2.1; CI 95%: 1.4-3.2], major roads (national interstate roads and national roads) (AOR: 2.8; CI 95%: 2.0-4.0) and non-work-related travel (AOR: 1.8; CI 95%: 1.2-2.7).

Conclusions: Factors associated with road crash severity in Benin were night-time, main roads, and non-work related travel. Raising user awareness about compliance with traffic rules and improving public lighting, especially along main roads could help reduce the number of serious injuries.

Keywords: Benin; abbreviated injury scale; nested case-control; road crash; severity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest. Ethical approval and consent to participate: this study was conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol describing this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Parakou (Benin) under the reference 0182/CLERBUP/ P/SP/R/SA.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Case and control selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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