RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Socioeconomic status and risk of car crash injury, independent of place of residence and driving exposure: results from the DRIVE Study
JF Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
JO J Epidemiol Community Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 998
OP 1003
DO 10.1136/jech.2009.091496
VO 64
IS 11
A1 H Y Chen
A1 R Q Ivers
A1 A L C Martiniuk
A1 S Boufous
A1 T Senserrick
A1 M Woodward
A1 M Stevenson
A1 R Norton
YR 2010
UL http://jech.bmj.com/content/64/11/998.abstract
AB Background Previous studies that found increased crash risks for young drivers of low socioeconomic status (SES) have failed to adjust for factors such as driving exposure and rural residence. This aim of this study is to examine the independent effect of SES on crash risk, adjusting for such factors, and to examine the relationship between injury severity following a crash and SES.Methods Information on risk factors for crash collected from 20 822 newly licenced drivers aged 17–24 years in New South Wales, Australia, as part of the DRIVE Study was prospectively linked to hospitalisation data. SES was classified as high, moderate or low based on the Australia 2001 Socio-Economic Index for Areas. Poisson regression was used to model risk of crash-related hospitalisation by SES, adjusting for confounders. Two measures of injury severity—urgency of treatment and length of hospital stay—were examined by SES.Results Results of multivariable analysis showed that drivers from low SES areas had increased relative risk (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1) of crash-related hospitalisation compared to drivers from high SES areas. This increased risk remained when adjusting for confounders including driving exposure and rurality (RR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.2). No significant association was found between injury severity and SES.Conclusion The higher risk of crash-related hospitalisation for young drivers from low SES areas is independent of driving exposure and rural–urban differences. This finding may help improve and better target interventions for youth of low SES.