PMID- 18072404
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20080117
LR  - 20190608
IS  - 0043-3144 (Print)
IS  - 0043-3144 (Linking)
VI  - 56
IP  - 3
DP  - 2007 Jun
TI  - Association between exposure/non-exposure to the mandatory seat belt law with 
      regards to compliance in vehicle accident victims--a hospital review.
PG  - 236-9
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are a major 
      challenge to the Jamaican healthcare system. In November 1999, Jamaica enacted 
      legislation to make seat belt usage in motor vehicles compulsory. The effect of 
      this policy change on seat belt usage is unclear. This study therefore sought to 
      determine the prevalence of seat belt usage and to determine the association 
      between exposure/non-exposure to the mandatory seat belt law and seat belt use in 
      subjects who presented to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of the 
      University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) as a result of motor vehicle 
      accidents. METHODS: Subjects were recruited from June to November 2003, post-seat 
      belt law (POBL) period, and May to October 1999, pre-seat belt law (PRBL) period. 
      Data collected included demographic variables, seat belt use and position of the 
      occupants in the vehicle. RESULTS: Of the 277 patients who were eligible for 
      inclusion, data were complete in 258 subjects, 87 in the PRBL period and 171 in 
      the POBL period. The prevalence of seat belt use was 47% (PRBL) and 63% (POBL) 
      respectively. There was no significant gender difference at each period. The odds 
      of wearing seat belt in the rear of a motor vehicle were significantly lower than 
      that of a driver (Table 3, OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.07, 0.48). Adjusting for age, gender 
      and position in vehicle exposure, there was about 100% increase in the odds of 
      seat belt use during the post seat belt law era (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.21, 3.61). 
      CONCLUSION: It is concluded from this hospital-based study that the mandatory 
      seat belt law legislature was associated with increased seat belt use in motor 
      vehicle accident victims. However, current data from the Road Traffic Agency 
      indicate that there is still an alarming number of fatalities. This clearly 
      suggests that additional public health measures are needed to address the 
      epidemic of motor vehicle trauma in Jamaica.
FAU - Williams, E W
AU  - Williams EW
AD  - Emergency Medicine Division, Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and 
      Intensive Care, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West 
      Indies. verz3us@yahoo.com
FAU - Reid, M
AU  - Reid M
FAU - Lindo, J L M
AU  - Lindo JL
FAU - Williams-Johnson, J
AU  - Williams-Johnson J
FAU - French, S
AU  - French S
FAU - Singh, P
AU  - Singh P
FAU - McDonald, A H
AU  - McDonald AH
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Jamaica
TA  - West Indian Med J
JT  - The West Indian medical journal
JID - 0417410
SB  - IM
MH  - Accidents, Traffic/*statistics & numerical data
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Automobiles/*legislation & jurisprudence/standards
MH  - Child
MH  - Female
MH  - Health Policy
MH  - *Health Promotion
MH  - Health Surveys
MH  - Humans
MH  - Jamaica
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Pilot Projects
MH  - Prevalence
MH  - Public Health/*legislation & jurisprudence
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - *Safety Management
MH  - Seat Belts/*legislation & jurisprudence/statistics & numerical data
MH  - *Social Marketing
MH  - Surveys and Questionnaires
MH  - Wounds and Injuries/*prevention & control
EDAT- 2007/12/13 09:00
MHDA- 2008/01/18 09:00
CRDT- 2007/12/13 09:00
PHST- 2007/12/13 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2008/01/18 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2007/12/13 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 584 [pii]
AID - 10.1590/s0043-31442007000300009 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - West Indian Med J. 2007 Jun;56(3):236-9. doi: 10.1590/s0043-31442007000300009.