Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Traffic Accidents in Metropolitan Tehran: A Population-based Study

Background: population?based estimates of traffic accidents(tas) are not readily available for developing countries. this studyexamined the contribution of socioeconomic status (ses) to therisk of ta among iranian adult s.methods: a total of 64,200people aged ?18years were identifiedfrom 2008 urban health equity assessment and response tool(urban heart) survey. 22,128 households were interviewed toestimate the overall annual incidence, severity and socioeconomicdeterminants of tas for males and females in iranian capitalover the preceding year. wealth index and house value index wereconstructed for economic measurement. weighted estimates werecomputed adjusting for complex survey design. logistic regressionmodels were used to examine individual and ses measures aspotential determinants of tas in adults.results: the overall incidence of traffic accident was 17.3(95%ci 16.0, 18.7) per 1000 per year. ta rate in men and women was22.6(95% ci 20.6, 24.8) and 11.8(95% ci 10.4, 13.2), respectively.the overall ta mortality rate was 26.6(95% ci 13.4, 39.8) per100,000 person?years, which was almost three times higher inmen than that for women (40.4 vs. 12.1 per 100,000person?years).lower economic level was associated with increased incidenceand mortality of ta. association between ses and incidence, andseverity and mor tality of ta were identified.conclusion: tas occur more in lower socioeconomic layers ofthe society. this should be taken seriously into consideration bypolicy makers, so that preventive programs aimed at behavioralmodifications in the society are promoted to decrease the healthand economic burden imposed by tas.