Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35468751›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2022

Do motorcycle helmets reduce road traffic injuries, hospitalizations and mortalities in low and lower-middle income countries in Africa? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Nadifa Abdi, Tara Robertson, Pammla Petrucka, Alexander M Crizzle

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.5field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. [Injury and death in motorcyclists: Umbrella review].Revista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social · 2026
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  18. Global, Regional, and National Burden of Road Injuries from 1990 to 2019.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Nadifa AbdiSchool of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Tara RobertsonSchool of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Pammla PetruckaCollege of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Alexander M CrizzleSchool of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. alex.crizzle@usask.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-5289-7257
University of Saskatchewan · CASaskatchewan Health Authority · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStudies in Africa have examined the association between helmet use and injury prevention, however, there has been no systematic review to synthesize the literature within an African context nor has there been any meta-analysis examining the effect of helmet use on injury prevention.

methodsThe review was performed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute for Systematic Reviews. Articles were searched using several databases (e.g. CINAHL, OVID Medline) and select gray literature (e.g. TRID) sources. Articles were included if they were quantitative studies published in English between 2000 and 2019 and examined the association between motorcycle helmet use with head injuries, hospitalizations, and deaths in low- and lower-middle income countries in Africa with comprehensive motorcycle helmet laws. A meta-analysis was performed using pooled effect sizes assessing the impact of helmet use on reducing head injuries.

resultsAfter screening 491 articles, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Helmet use ranged from 0 to 43%. The mean age of being involved in a crash was 30 years with males being two times more likely to be involved in motorcycle crashes than females. Drivers (riders) were more likely to be involved in a crash, followed by passengers and then pedestrians. Helmet use reduced injury severity and provided an 88% reduction in serious head injuries (OR 0.118, 95% CI: 0.014-0.968, p = 0.049).

conclusionsIn our study, helmet usage significantly reduced the likelihood of fatal head injuries. African countries with no helmet laws should consider adopting helmet use policies to reduce severe head related injuries from motorcycle crashes.

Indexed as

Craniocerebral TraumaMotorcyclesAccidents, TrafficAdultAfricaDeveloping CountriesFemaleHead Protective DevicesHospitalizationHumansMaleAfricaHospitalizationInjuriesMortality, low- and middle-income countriesMotorcycleMotorcycle helmets

Identifiers

PMID35468751
PMCPMC9036710
OpenAlexW4224542757

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.