Area socioeconomic status and childhood injury morbidity in New South Wales, Australia
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hayen, Andrew , Finch, Caroline , Zwi, Anthony
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 13, no. 5 (Oct 2007), p. 322-327
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To explore the relationship between child injury morbidity and socioeconomic status. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of routinely collected hospital separation data for unintentional injury for the period 1999/2000-2004/2005. Setting: All statistical local areas of New South Wales (NSW), Australia Subjects: 110 549 unintentional injury-related hospital separations for NSW children aged 0-14 years. Main outcome measure: Adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for hospital separations for unintentional injury (for all injury and by individual injury mechanisms) by quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage for children aged 0-14 years. Results: There was no clear relationship between socioeconomic status and injury when all injury mechanisms were combined. However, children in the more disadvantaged quintiles were more likely to be hospitalized than children in the least disadvantaged quintile for the following injury mechanisms: motor cycle ( point estimates for IRRs across the socioeconomic status quintiles ranged from 2.95 to 4.02 relative to the least disadvantaged quintile), motor-vehicle occupant (IRR range 1.33-2.27), pedestrian (IRR range 1.43-2.54 for ages 0-4 years), pedal cyclist ( IRR range 1.30-1.50), fire and burns ( IRR range 1.37-2.00), and poisoning (IRR range 1.32-1.91). Similarly, hospital separation rates for foreign body, other transport, and pedestrian (aged 5-9 years) injuries were also greater, but the differences were not statistically significant across all quintiles. These injury mechanisms accounted for about 25% of the hospital separations. Conclusions: The relationship between relative socioeconomic disadvantage and injury risk in NSW children is strongest for transport-related injuries, fires and burns, and poisoning. Interventions that address these specific injury mechanisms may help to reduce the disparity between high and lower socioeconomic groups.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005883
Hospitalised hot tap water scald patients following the introduction of regulations in NSW, Australia : Who have we missed?
- Authors: Harvey, Lara , Poulos, Roslyn , Finch, Caroline , Olivier, Jake , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Burns Vol. 36, no. 6 (2010), p. 912-919
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Scalds from hot tap water are serious injuries that are potentially preventable by restricting the temperature of hot tap water delivery. In July 1999, regulations were introduced in NSW to require that all new hot water installations deliver water at temperatures not exceeding 50 °C to sanitary fixtures. This study investigates trends in hot tap water scald injury hospitalisations following the introduction of these regulations. Hot tap water scald cases for 1999-2007 were identified from hospitalisation data for all public and private hospitals in NSW. To investigate hot tap water scald hospitalisations over time, negative binomial regression analysis was performed. There were 845 hospitalisations for hot tap water scalds in NSW over the period of the study. Hospital admission rates for hot tap water scalds decreased by an estimated 6% (3.2-8.5, 95%CI) per year since the introduction of regulations. While those most at risk were infants, toddlers and the elderly, almost a third of hospitalisations were for adults (25-64 years). The majority of hot tap water scalds were sustained at home and a further 4% occurred in a residential institute or school. The majority of scalds were severe, and a quarter required admission for longer than a week. The introduction of regulations in NSW appears to have had a positive impact on the rates of hospitalisations for hot tap water scalds; however, scalds continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality. This highlights the need for a review of the scope and implementation of the existing regulations and ongoing education of the general public to the dangers of hot tap water. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI.
Geographic mapping as a tool for identifying communities at high risk of fire and burn injuries in children
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hayen, Andrew , Chong, Shanley , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Burns Vol. 35, no. 3 (2009), p. 417-424
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Burns are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Although industrialized countries have achieved significant declines in deaths and hospitalizations for these injuries in recent decades, the benefits have not been shared equally by children across all socioeconomic groups. We used Bayesian methods to map posterior expected relative risks, as an estimate of smoothed hospital separation ratios for fire and burns in children, across local government areas in New South Wales, Australia. The geographic pattern of relative risk varied by age group; higher than average risks were observed for children residing in rural and remote areas, as well as in scattered local government areas closer to the coast and in some metropolitan regions. Mapping the occurrence of injury gives injury practitioners the opportunity to identify high risk communities for further investigation of risk factors and implementation of targeted interventions within a defined area. Crown Copyright © 2008.
Safe hot tap water: Knowledge, attitude and practice of plumbers, students and regulatory authorities following the introduction of plumbing regulations in NSW, Australia
- Authors: Harvey, Lara , Poulos, Roslyn , Finch, Caroline , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Burns Vol. 37, no. 2 (2011), p. 234-239
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Regulations to restrict the temperature of domestic hot tap water were introduced in NSW in 1999. This study investigates the impact of the regulations on the knowledge, attitude and practice of workforce professionals responsible for their uptake and enforcement. Telephone surveys were conducted with a random sample of 110 plumbers and 30 regulating authorities. Surveys were recorded, transcribed and coded. Written questionnaires were completed by 151 plumbing students. The regulations are well known and supported by the majority of plumbers, students and regulators; however 75% of plumbers reported customer dissatisfaction with them. Only a minority of plumbers (11%), students (7%) and regulators (27%) correctly appreciated the impact of a decrease in water temperature in reducing burns. This study identifies the need to improve plumbers and students' understanding of the safety issues underlying the regulations in order to promote more effective advocacy for homes not currently covered by the regulations, and to provide more public education to increase acceptance of them. As only houses built or substantially renovated after June 1999 are likely to have been impacted by the current regulations, there is a need to increase the scope of the regulations to include not only new installations, but also the replacement of existing heated water units if the goal of universal protection is to be achieved. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
- Description: Regulations to restrict the temperature of domestic hot tap water were introduced in NSW in 1999. This study investigates the impact of the regulations on the knowledge, attitude and practice of workforce professionals responsible for their uptake and enforcement. Telephone surveys were conducted with a random sample of 110 plumbers and 30 regulating authorities. Surveys were recorded, transcribed and coded. Written questionnaires were completed by 151 plumbing students. The regulations are well known and supported by the majority of plumbers, students and regulators; however 75% of plumbers reported customer dissatisfaction with them. Only a minority of plumbers (11%), students (7%) and regulators (27%) correctly appreciated the impact of a decrease in water temperature in reducing burns. This study identifies the need to improve plumbers and students' understanding of the safety issues underlying the regulations in order to promote more effective advocacy for homes not currently covered by the regulations, and to provide more public education to increase acceptance of them. As only houses built or substantially renovated after June 1999 are likely to have been impacted by the current regulations, there is a need to increase the scope of the regulations to include not only new installations, but also the replacement of existing heated water units if the goal of universal protection is to be achieved. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
Improving the diffusion of safety initiatives in community sport
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Donaldson, Alex
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 18, no. 2 (2015), p. 139-144
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: The "Mayday Safety Procedure" (MSP) is included in the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Medical and Safety Recommendations and the mandatory SmartRugby training for coaches. Previous research indicates that translating the Mayday Safety Procedure into practice among community rugby coaches is challenging. This study investigated whether Mayday Safety Procedure translation could be enhanced by systematically planning and implementing a range of theory-informed and context-specific diffusion strategies. Design: A controlled before-and-after study. Methods: Coaches of senior community rugby teams in five zones in New South Wales (Australia) were invited to complete a questionnaire about their Mayday Safety Procedure knowledge and practice at the end of the 2010 and 2011 rugby seasons. During 2011, coaches in the intervention zone were exposed to a range of strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion which were planned by following Step 5 of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Coaches in the other four zones were exposed to usual strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion. Results: Using the RE-AIM evaluation framework, statistically significant improvements were found among intervention zone coaches in: knowledge of most Mayday Safety Procedure key criteria; the number of coaches recognising their zone policy requiring them to train players in the Mayday Safety Procedure; frequency of provision of Mayday Safety Procedure training to players; coach perceptions of the quality of Mayday Safety Procedure training for players; and in confidence that referees could implement the Mayday Safety Procedure during a game if required. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the translation of injury prevention policy into community practice can be enhanced by developing and implementing a theory-informed, context-specific diffusion plan, undertaken in partnership with key stakeholders. © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia.
Characteristics, cycling patterns, and crash and injury experiences at baseline of a cohort of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales, Australia
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hatfield, Julie , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Murphy, Susanne , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 78, no. (2015), p. 155-164
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper examines self-reported retrospective data for a 12 month period from 2038 adult cyclists from New South Wales (Australia), and compares cyclists according to whether they self-identify as riding mainly for transport or mainly for recreation. Statistically significant differences were found in the demographic characteristics, cycling patterns, and crash experiences between these two groups of cyclists. Transport cyclists tended to be younger, travel more days per week, and within morning and evening peak hours than recreational cyclists; recreational cyclists were more likely to identify fitness as a purpose for cycling. The proportion of cyclists experiencing a crash or crash-related injury in the previous 12 months was similar for transport and recreational cyclists, but there were differences in crash types and location which likely reflect different cycling environments. Heterogeneity within transport and recreational cyclists was also found, based on self-reported riding intensity. An understanding of the different cycling patterns and experiences of various types of cyclists is useful to inform road safety, transport and health promotion policy. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A population-based survey of knowledge of first aid for burns in New South Wales
- Authors: Harvey, Lara , Barr, Margo , Poulos, Roslyn , Finch, Caroline , Sherker, Shauna , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 195, no. 8 (2011), p. 465-468
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To determine the current level of knowledge of first aid for a burn injury and sources of this knowledge among the general population of New South Wales. Design, setting and participants: People aged 16 years or older were interviewed as part of the 2007 NSW Population Health Survey, a continuous telephone survey of NSW residents. Main outcome measure: Weighted proportion of the population with optimal first aid knowledge for burns. Results: In total, 7320 respondents were asked questions related to burn injuries and first aid. Of the surveyed population, 82% reported that they would cool a burn with water, and 9% reported that they would cool the burn for the recommended 20 minutes. Few respondents reported that they would remove the patient’s clothing and keep the injured person warm. The most common sources of first aid information were a first aid book (42%) and the internet (33%). Speaking a language other than English at home, and being over 65 years of age were associated with a lack of first aid knowledge. Conclusions: A minority of people living in NSW know the optimal time for cooling a burn injury and other appropriate first aid steps for burns. This study demonstrates a gap in the public’s knowledge, especially among non-English speaking people and older people, and highlights the need for a clear, consistent first aid message.
An exposure based study of crash and injury rates in a cohort of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales, Australia
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hatfield, Julie , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Murphy, Susanne , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 78, no. (2015), p. 29-38
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper examines self-reported prospectively collected data from 2038 adult transport and recreational cyclists from New South Wales (Australia) to determine exposure-based incident crash and injury rates. During 25,971 days of cycling, 198 crashes were reported, comprising approximately equal numbers of falls and collisions. The overall crash rate was 0.290 (95% CI, 0.264-0.319) per 1000 km or 6.06 (95% CI, 5.52-6.65) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing any injury (self-treated, or medically attended without overnight hospital stay) was 0.148 (95% CI, 0.133-0.164) per 1000 km or 3.09 (95% CI, 2.79-3.43) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing a medically attended injury (without overnight hospital stay) was 0.023 (95% CI, 0.020-0.027) per 1000 km or 0.49 (95% CI, 0.43-0.56) per 1000 h of travel. No injuries requiring an overnight stay in hospital were reported on days meeting the inclusion criteria. After adjustment for exposure in hours, or for the risks associated with different infrastructure utilisation, the rates of crashes and medically attended injuries were found to be greater for females than males, less experienced than more experienced cyclists, and for those who rode mainly for transport rather than mainly for recreation. Comparison of estimated crash and injury rates on different infrastructure types were limited by the small number of events, however findings suggest that the separation of cyclists from motorised traffic is by itself not sufficient to ensure safe cycling. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
Making burns count: The impact of varying case selection criteria on the identification of ICD-10 coded hospitalised burns
- Authors: Harvey, Lara , Poulos, Roslyn , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Burns Vol. 39, no. 7 (2013), p. 1367-1373
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Routinely collected hospitalisation data are widely used to monitor injury trends, provide estimates of the burden of injury and healthcare costs, and to inform policy. This study examined the impact of different ICD-10 based case selection criteria commonly used by Australian and international reporting bodies on the number and nature of burn-related hospitalisations identified. Methods Burn cases from a state-wide administrative hospitalisation dataset were identified and compared using three different case selection criteria: (1) principal diagnosis code of burn 'T20-T31', (2) first external cause code denoting burn 'X00-X19' and (3) both principal diagnosis code of community acquired injury 'S00-T98' and first external cause code denoting burn 'X00-X19'. Results Principal diagnosis codes 'T20-T31' and first external cause codes 'X00-X19' identified a similar number of cases, however only 78% of these were captured by both definitions. Principal diagnosis codes identified chemical, electrical and contact burns not identified as burns using external cause codes. First external cause codes identified readmission cases which were not identified by principal diagnosis codes. Using principal diagnosis codes of community acquired injury combined with external cause code of burn under-numerated hospitalisations by forty percent. Conclusion The development, implementation and evaluation of health policy and prevention measures rely on good quality, consistent data. Current methods for identifying burn cases in hospitalisation data provide wide differences in estimation of number and nature of cases. It is important for clinicians to understand the implications of coding on the epidemiology and measurement of the burden of burn. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd and ISBI.
Near miss experiences of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales, Australia. Findings from a prospective cohort study
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Hatfield, Julie , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Shaw, Louise , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accident Analysis and Prevention Vol. 101, no. (2017), p. 143-153
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper investigates events in which cyclists perceive a cycling crash is narrowly avoided (henceforth, a near miss). A cohort of 2038 adult transport and recreational cyclists from New South Wales (Australia) provided self-reported prospectively collected data from cycling diaries to allow the calculation of an exposure-based rate of near misses and investigation of near miss circumstances. During 25,971 days of cycling, 3437 near misses were reported. For a given time cycling, cyclists who rode mainly for transport (compared with those who rode mainly for recreation), and cyclists with less experience (compared to those with more experience) were more likely to report a near miss; older cyclists (60+ years) were less likely to report a near miss than younger cyclists (25-59 years). Where type of near miss was recorded, 72.0% involved motor vehicles, 10.9% involved pedestrians and 6.9% involved other cyclists. Results indicate some similarities between near misses and crashes reported by this cohort during the same reporting period. A bias toward reporting near misses with motor Vehicles was suggested, which likely reflects cyclists' perceptions that crashes involving motor vehicles are particularly serious, and highlights their impact on perceived safety. Given the relative rarity of crashes, and the limited breadth and depth of administrative data, collection of near miss data may contribute to our understanding of cycling safety by increasing the volume and detail of information available for analysis. Addressing the causes of near misses may offer an opportunity to improve both perceived and actual safety for cyclists. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Factors associated with cyclists' self-reported choice of lane position
- Authors: Hatfield, Julie , Poulos, Roslyn , Rissel, Chris , Flack, Lloyd , Grzebieta, Raphael , McIntosh, Andrew , Murphy, Susanne
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology And Behaviour Vol. 55, no. (2018), p. 403-414
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Riders cycling on roads without bicycle lanes are generally advised to ride in the centre of their lane (primary position), and to move toward the left of the lane (in left-hand traffic; secondary position) only to let faster traffic pass and when it is safe. The present research investigated which situational and personal characteristics were associated with choice of lane position, and whether choice of lane position is associated with on-road crash involvement. A large cohort of bicycle riders from New South Wales Australia reported on their cycling patterns and crashes in 6 reporting weeks over a 1-year period using on-line surveys. During one reporting week 1525 participants identified their preferred choice of lane position in each of 6 visually-depicted scenarios that were designed to investigate the influence of number of lanes (in the cyclists’ direction of travel), parked cars, and bus lanes. A majority of respondents preferred the secondary position in scenarios with a clear kerbside lane. Respondents were significantly more likely to choose the primary position in multiple-lane situations compared to single-lane situations, if there were parked cars in the kerbside lane, and if they were female, younger, experienced riders, transport riders, or high intensity riders. Controlling for personal characteristics, choosing the primary position in a single clear traffic lane scenario was associated with a higher on-road crash rate, while choosing the primary position in a traffic lane with parked cars scenario was associated with a lower on-road crash rate. Results suggested that when riding on-road the bicycle riders in this Australian cohort prefer to keep their distance from motorised traffic, allowing traffic to pass safely when space allows. Nonetheless, results suggested that choice of lane position is highly dependent on the local road and traffic environment. Further research is needed to support advice to cyclists.