research >>traffic-related burden of disease
completed
The most commonly used measures for traffic-related risks are death and injury rates for different populations, which are then compared. For example, death and injury rates for the elderly versus teenagers. Injury and death numbers are also compared. However, these metrics do not fully capture the burden deaths and injuries place on different populations. To achieve this, a composite measure known as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) has been developed. While this measure has been used extensively in the global burden of disease literature, it has not been applied specifically to traffic safety. This project aimed to examine the use of the DALY to describe the traffic-related health burden in California populations with the goal of more specifically characterizing the distribution of traffic-related burden of disease across occupants, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists.
Some findings are listed below. There is also a link to a slide presentation in the TSC resources section below
- Occupant crashes constituted 53% of the total traffic-related burden for California in 2000 (followed by unspecified 19%, pedestrian 16%, motorcyclist 9%, and bicyclist 3%).
- DALYs lost by males aged 15-24 constitute 20% of the total traffic-related burden.
- DALYs lost by all females constitute 30% of the total traffic-related burden.
- Latinos have the highest rate of DALY loss due to traffic-related causes (followed by African-Americans, Whites, Native Americans, and Asians).
- Native Americans have the highest rate of DALY loss attributed to unspecified traffic-related causes.
- 20% of the total traffic-related burden for Latinos and African-Americans is due to pedestrian causes (compared to 9-14% for other ethnicities).
TSC Resources
"Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and the Traffic-Related Burden of Disease in California" Kolb, Carol. MS student, Environmental Health Sciences, Health, Environment, and Development. Presented at GSR Traffic Safety Seminar, June 2003.
DALYs and the Traffic-Related Burden of Disease in California in PowerPoint ™ or as a PDF.
"TSC Graduate Researchers Reach Across Disciplines," story in TSC Online Newsletter, Fall 2003.
"Low Income Childhood Pedestrian Injury: Understanding the Disparate Risk." Johnson, ES. Geyer, JA. Rai, N. and Ragland, DR. TSC Research Report. 2004.
"Traffic Safety Takes to a Global Stage: Road injury and its prevention emerge as an international health issue," story in TSC Online Newsletter, Winter 2004-2005.