Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41327339›Full record

ArticleInjury epidemiology2025

Epidemiology of pediatric road traffic injuries: a multicenter hospital-based study in Ghana.

Anthony Baffour Appiah, Michael Lowery Wilson, Peter Dambach, Mahsa MohammadNamdar, Alexis Dun Bo-Ib Buunaaim, John Abanga Alatiiga, Vincent Ativor, Peter Donkor, Charles Mock

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Injury epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

9 authors.

Anthony Baffour AppiahHeidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. anthony.baffour_appiah@stud.uni-heidelberg.de.
Michael Lowery WilsonSection for Oral Health, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Peter DambachHeidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Mahsa MohammadNamdarDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, Turku Brain Injury Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Alexis Dun Bo-Ib BuunaaimDepartment of Surgery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
John Abanga AlatiigaDepartment of Trauma Orthopaedics, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
Vincent AtivorDepartment of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Peter DonkorDepartment of Surgery, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Charles MockHarborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRoad traffic injury (RTI) is a major threat to children and adolescents worldwide. RTIs account for 25.7 deaths per 100,000 people in the general population. Unlike in other western countries where road fatalities are declining, deaths in Ghana continue to rise. This study examined the injury characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of pediatric RTI cases and inpatient fatalities across three zones in Ghana.

methodsThis study employed a retrospective cross-sectional design, analyzing pediatric RTI data from three teaching hospitals in Ghana, with each hospital located in one of Ghana's three geographic zones: northern, middle, and coastal/southern. The study included all pediatric RTI cases captured between 2021 and 2024. Data on sociodemographic, spatial-temporal information, type of injury, injury severity, and admission outcome were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to compare groups at p < 0.05. Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) was used to develop choropleth maps.

resultsA total of 1,485 pediatric RTI cases were included. Boys constituted 72.3%. Adolescents aged 13-18 years (45.6%) and school children aged 6-12 years (32.4%) were the most affected age groups. The leading causes of RTI were pedestrian knockdown (51.1%) and motorcycle crash (33.2%). While pedestrian knockdowns were widespread across the country, motorcycle crashes were dominant in the northern zone. Head injury was commonly reported among patients seen in the middle (60.4%) and northern (59.5%) zones, while lower limb injuries (54.3%) were most frequently seen in the southern zone. Mortality rates differed among the zones: 6.9% northern, 2.8% southern, and 0% middle (p < 0.001).

conclusionThe differences in injury patterns, mortality rates, and crash types underscore regional disparities in risk exposure and point to the limited effectiveness of road safety interventions across the country. The local road safety authorities should intensify road safety education and law enforcement, with clear outcome indicators to monitor impacts. Improvements in road infrastructure are also necessary, which provide separate routes for pedestrians with strict adherence.

Indexed as

AdolescentChildrenGeographic information systemGhanaRoad traffic accidentTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID41327339
PMCPMC12690968

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Registered trials

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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.