Epidemiology pattern of traumatic injuries of adults older than 15 years in Kashan, Iran: A population-based study in 2018-2019

Trauma is the first leading cause of death and disability in the active population in developing countries. In Iran, traumatic injuries are the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and also the leading cause of years of life lost (YLL). Population-based surveys can estimate all types of injuries. This study aimed to estimate the annual incidence of nonfatal injuries in adults older than 15 years in Kashan.

In a cross-sectional population-based study, people older than 15 years who were living in Kashan during 2018-2019 were studied. A cluster stratified sampling method was used. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software. Chi-square and  t tests and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Significance level was set as P ≤ .05 and confidence interval (CI) at 95%.

In this study, which included 3880 households residing in Kashan during 2018-2019, the incidence of all injuries was estimated to be 70.61(62.60-78.70) per 1000 people in 1 year. For traffic accidents, the incidence was estimated at 36.08 (30.20-42.00) per 1000 in 1 year. Also, 231 (77.7%) of people with trauma were male, 137 (50.0%) aged 20 to 39 years, and 191 (69.7) were married. The most common cause of injuries (n = 140; 51.1%) was related to traffic accidents, and among the traffic accidents, the highest cause was motorcycle accident (n = 99; 70.71%).

The results of this study showed that the highest rate of injuries occurred among men, younger ages, married, and those with primary education. Also, the results showed the most common causes of trauma were injured hand and foot and head, and the most common location in which trauma occurred was street. The findings of this study are important to better explain the epidemiology aspects of injuries in Kashan.