Epidemiology of pediatric road traffic injuries: a multicenter hospital-based study in Ghana

Anthony Baffour Appiah¹, Michael Lowery Wilson², Peter Dambach³, Mahsa MohammadNamdar⁴, Alexis Dun Bo-Ib Buunaaim^{5

6}, John Abanga Alatiiga⁶, Vincent Ativor⁷, Peter Donkor⁸, Charles Mock⁹

Affiliations

¹ Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. anthony.baffour_appiah@stud.uni-heidelberg.de.
² Section for Oral Health, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
⁴ Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
⁵ Department of Surgery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
⁶ Department of Trauma Orthopaedics, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
⁷ Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁸ Department of Surgery, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁹ Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, USA.

PMID: 41327339
PMCID: PMC12690968
DOI: 10.1186/s40621-025-00646-1

Epidemiology of pediatric road traffic injuries: a multicenter hospital-based study in Ghana

Anthony Baffour Appiah et al. Inj Epidemiol. 2025.

. 2025 Dec 1;12(1):83.

doi: 10.1186/s40621-025-00646-1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. anthony.baffour_appiah@stud.uni-heidelberg.de.
² Section for Oral Health, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
⁴ Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
⁵ Department of Surgery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
⁶ Department of Trauma Orthopaedics, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
⁷ Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁸ Department of Surgery, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁹ Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, USA.

PMID: 41327339
PMCID: PMC12690968
DOI: 10.1186/s40621-025-00646-1

Abstract

Background: Road traffic injury (RTI) is a major threat to children and adolescents worldwide. RTIs account for 25.7 deaths per 100,000 people in the general population. Unlike in other western countries where road fatalities are declining, deaths in Ghana continue to rise. This study examined the injury characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of pediatric RTI cases and inpatient fatalities across three zones in Ghana.

Methods: This study employed a retrospective cross-sectional design, analyzing pediatric RTI data from three teaching hospitals in Ghana, with each hospital located in one of Ghana's three geographic zones: northern, middle, and coastal/southern. The study included all pediatric RTI cases captured between 2021 and 2024. Data on sociodemographic, spatial-temporal information, type of injury, injury severity, and admission outcome were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to compare groups at p < 0.05. Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) was used to develop choropleth maps.

Results: A total of 1,485 pediatric RTI cases were included. Boys constituted 72.3%. Adolescents aged 13-18 years (45.6%) and school children aged 6-12 years (32.4%) were the most affected age groups. The leading causes of RTI were pedestrian knockdown (51.1%) and motorcycle crash (33.2%). While pedestrian knockdowns were widespread across the country, motorcycle crashes were dominant in the northern zone. Head injury was commonly reported among patients seen in the middle (60.4%) and northern (59.5%) zones, while lower limb injuries (54.3%) were most frequently seen in the southern zone. Mortality rates differed among the zones: 6.9% northern, 2.8% southern, and 0% middle (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The differences in injury patterns, mortality rates, and crash types underscore regional disparities in risk exposure and point to the limited effectiveness of road safety interventions across the country. The local road safety authorities should intensify road safety education and law enforcement, with clear outcome indicators to monitor impacts. Improvements in road infrastructure are also necessary, which provide separate routes for pedestrians with strict adherence.

Keywords: Adolescent; Children; Geographic information system; Ghana; Road traffic accident; Traumatic brain injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (Ref: KATHIRB/AP/127/23), the Ethics Review Committee of Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (Ref: CCTHERC/EC/2023/120), and the Department ofResearch and Development of Tamale Teaching Hospital (Ref. TTH/R&D/SR/031). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, which outlines ethical principles for medical research involving human participants, with strict adherence of data security and confidentiality. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.