The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65877

Betsey M. Gardstein, MSPH¹, Dana Loomis, PhD², Stephen W. Marshall, PhD³, Vilma Santana, MD, PhD⁴, and Marlene Silva, MPH⁴. (1) Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108, (617) 624-5624, betsey@netspace.org, (2) School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2105A McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB-7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, (3) Department of Epidemiology, and Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#7505, Chase Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7505, (4) Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Rua Padre Feijo 29/4' andar, Canela-Cep, Salvador-Bahia, 40110-170, Brazil

Background: Injury mortality has become a significant public health problem in developing countries such as Brazil, and it has been experienced disproportionately among specialized occupations, such as military personnel, merchant seamen and fishermen.

Methods: Data from the Division of Military Personnel of the Brazilian Navy were utilized to describe the epidemiology of injury mortality among 3,563 male servicemen who died between 1991 and 1995. Case-referent analyses were conducted using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the association of potential risk factors with homicide, compared to deaths due to unintentional injuries.

Results: Approximately 10% of all deaths were due to injuries (N=377). There were 260 cases and 73 referents. Servicemen were more likely to die from assault compared to unintentional injury if they were less than 29 years old (OR=3.05, 95% CI=1.36-6.86), had served less than 5 years in the Navy (OR=2.83, 95% CI=1.30-6.17), were of a low socioeconomic status, were unmarried, had worked on land, or worked in a non-professional, labor-intensive field, such as weapons/maneuvers/infantry (OR=3.53, 95% CI=1.50-8.29).

Conclusions: The characteristics of servicemen who died of assault differed from those who died of unintentional injury. The odds of dying from assault compared to unintentional injury varied with occupational group. Furthermore, non-motor vehicle unintentional injury deaths were more likely to be work-related than homicides. Further research should be conducted to ascertain other potential confounders and the true intent and mechanism of injury deaths that are undetermined or unknown.

Learning Objectives:

Participants in this session will be able to:
• Assess the magnitude of the public health problem of injury mortality among servicemen in the Brazilian Navy;
• Identify the risk factors for injury mortality, and the characteristics of servicemen who died of assault compared to those who died of unintentional injuries;
• Recognize the role of work environments in injury mortality;
• Draw comparisons with other populations

Keywords: Occupational Injury and Death, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.