TRENDS AND FATALITY FROM ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG VICTIMS REPORTED TO TRAFFIC POLICE STATIONS IN SELECTED FOUR CITIES IN PUNTLAND STATE OF SOMALIA.

Abstract

Background: Road traffic accidents pose a global challenge that impacts nations worldwide. Road traffic accidents are a significant public health problem and have become the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Even though there is a problem of road traffic accidents in Puntland, no study so far has been conducted study area Objective: This study aimed to assess trends and fatality from road traffic accident and associated factors among victims reported to traffic police stations from January 01 to December 31, 2023, in selected four cities in Puntland state of Somalia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in selected cities in Puntland State, Somalia, focusing on victims registered and reported to traffic police station. With the sample of 536 victims, central station police were selected through simple random sampling. A systematic sampling method was employed to gather representative data from victim registries at four central police stations. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 17. Binary logistic regression were used to assess crude associations between fatality and independent variables, Factors that show a significant bivariate association (p ≤ 0.25) for candidate in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The majority of road traffic accident (RTA) victims were male (63%), with the most affected age group being 18-30 years. Urban residents (70.40%) were more frequently involved in accidents. The highest number of accidents occurred in May, September and August, with most accidents occurring on city roads (71.73%) during normal working days. The study found that prevalence of fatalities from road traffic accidents were 31.31 %( 95% CI: 27.4, 35.5%). Drivers aged 31–50 years (AOR, 4.49, 95% CI, [2.26, 8.91]), In type of accidents, Rollover accident (AOR, 2.15, 95%CI, [1.02, 4.52]), Vehicle collision with animal (ARO 3.82, 95%CI, [1.45, 10.04]), accident occurred at night time (AOR, 2.29, 95%CI, [1.1, 4.97]) were found to be statistical associated with more fatalities. Private vehicles, extremity injuries, and public vehicles were associated with less fatality from road traffic accidents. Conclusion: Fatality prevalence from road traffic accident was found to be higher. Driver age, type of accidents, time of accident, site of injury, and vehicle type were statistically significantly associated with fatal outcomes. To reduce fatality, Puntland state should be develop and implement educational programs specifically for middle age drivers.