Article Text
Abstract
Introduction Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a major health problem internationally, causing illness, deaths and disabilities among young people. Research on RTIs in developing countries has been limited. We studied RTIs among primary school students in a rural area of Bangladesh.
Objective The objective of the study is to investigate risk factors for RTIs in school children.
Method We surveyed 778 grade IV and V students (aged 8–10 years) in Raiganj using a survey questionnaire. The survey was conducted at fifteen randomly selected primary schools with the cooperation of teachers and field supervisors. The questionnaire gathered data on socio-demographics, school journey, and knowledge & practice of road use.
Result The prevalence of risk factors (and confidence intervals) for road traffic injury among school children were estimated. The results from the 778 interviews were: 93.2% and 91.2% reported that they walked to and home from school; 52.2% of them were alone or accompanied by peers; 59.4% reported crossing busy roads or high way during their school journey ; 42.3% reported they had received no training regarding road use; and 26.4% re reported that they had RTIs in the last 12 months and most of these incidents occurrence were on the school journey (after school) when they were crossing or walking on the side of the road.
Conclusion The results are in accordance with the high rates of RTIs and huge exposure of risk factors among school children, reinforcing the need of integrated inter-sectoral actions, including training and awareness among school children.