Prevalence of alcohol among drivers, riders and pedestrians injured in road traffic crashes in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: International journal of injury control and safety promotion Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 340 - 347
• Main Authors: Oyono, Yannick, Gjerde, Hallvard, Kelley-Baker, Tara, Asongalem, Emmanuel Acha, Kouomogne Nteungue, Boris Arnaud, Tayimetha, Carolle Yanique, Djouyep Momo, Olivier, Biwole Biwole, Claude Patrick, Mekolo Owandja, David, Ngono, Valerie, Djakari, Yaouba, Ramaekers, Johannes G., Achidi Akum, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.09.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Alcohol; alcohol consumption; Alcohols; Analyzers; and driving; Blood levels; Cameroon; Crashes; Cross-sectional studies; drinking; injuries; Injury analysis; Injury prevention; Motor vehicles; Motorcycles; Pedestrians; Regression analysis; road traffic crashes; Roads; Traffic; Traffic accidents; Traffic accidents & safety; Cameroon; Cameroon; and driving; drinking; alcohol consumption; injuries; road traffic crashes
• ISSN: 1745-7300; 1745-7319
• DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2022.2030365

The use of alcohol among road users injured in road traffic crashes and admitted to three major hospitals in Cameroon was studied. Alcohol use was measured using breathalyzers, and data on age, gender, education level, religion, type of road user, time of the crash, crash characteristics, and injury severity were recorded using a questionnaire. Of the 350 participants, 30.9% had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) above 0.08% (legal limit for drivers); the proportion was highest among motorcycle riders (36.5%), followed by pedestrians (24.8%) and motor vehicle drivers (18.9%). The proportion with BAC above 0.08% was highest on weekend nights and among those who were most seriously injured. Those who reported being Muslims had a lower prevalence of alcohol. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed those associations. Many road traffic injuries could have been avoided if the patient had not consumed alcohol. Actions should therefore be taken to reduce the proportion of alcohol-impaired road users. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2022.2030365 .