TRAFFIC SAFETY FOR DIVERSE POPULATIONS

Injuries continue to be a serious health problem worldwide and account for more lives lost than any disease entity. In accordance with Healthy People 2010 objectives, efforts to reduce deaths and nonfatal injuries can be directed towards increasing usage of safety belt and child restraint devices for all occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes. US Census data reveal that immigration accounts for more than 31% of the shift in demographics of people within the United States since 1990. The projected impact on racial/ethnic groups is a rise of 15% within those electing to reside in the United States. Since 1998, Massachusetts has seen a steady rise in overall crash-related fatalities. A gap exists in the educational materials available to diverse populations or emerging linguistic groups within our state. Grant funding was provided through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, to develop traffic safety materials for diverse populations. Identification of the existing diversity with the state was conducted using 2000 US Census data. Of the state’s total population of 6.3 million residents, there were positive gains in the following racial/ethnic groups: 16% Black, 49% Latino, and 70% Asian or Pacific Islander. Utilizing reports of hospital discharge data from the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, as well as crash data from the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau, the incidence and mechanisms of injuries were examined. The project coordinator conducted online and telephone queries of state and national traffic safety organizations and outreach programs looking at prevention topics, languages available, and medium (such as brochures, cards, or other materials) to steer the project. The steady rise of traffic-related injuries and fatalities, coupled with the historically low safety belt use within the state, indicated a need for educational materials focused on the following 4 traffic topics: child passenger, restraint use, pedestrian, and bicycle safety. The languages selected were Haitian Creole, Khmer, Portuguese, Russian, and traditional Chinese. Based on the findings from the environmental scan, educational materials on the 4 priority topics were developed in each of the 5 languages identified. The educational materials are available in portable document format at http://bidmc.harvard.edu/injuryprevention. Accurate data regarding race and ethnicity of those injured in traffic-related events is very limited. Injury prevention programs may begin to identify populations at risk through the examination of readily available census data.