Prevalence of Motorcycle Accidents and Associated Factors in Accra

Abstract

Road traffic accidents have numerous public health and economic repercussions to developing countries, of which Ghana is no exception. In addition to death, there is maiming, financial cost and psychological ramifications of road accidents on victims and families. In Accra, the problem of increased numbers of motorcycle accidents along with the increase in the use of motorcycles to help escape traffic congestion is a major source of concern. Thus, this research wass designed to investigate the prevalence of motorcycle accidents and associated factors in Accra. Using a cross-sectional study design, 387 victims of road traffic accidents, age 15 years and above, from Legon, Pentecost, Madina and Kekele hospitals, Motor Transport and Traffic Unit offices in Accra and Kaneshie district court were recruited to participate in this research using simple random sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using Stata (Version 15.0) and Microsoft Excel (2013).The questionnaire included questions on demographic details of participants, cycling history, type of accident, income level, level of education and maintenance frequency. Chi-square test of association was used to determine the association between motorcycle accidents and sociodemographic/socioeconomic factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the strength of the associations between the dependent variable (motorcycle accident) and the independent variables (sociodemographic/socioeconomic factors). The prevalence of motorcycle accidents among road traffic accidents was 37% (95% CI=32.0-42.0). Prevalence among men was 39% while women had 22%. Prevalence among income level (in Ghana cedis per month) of 0 -349 was 65% and that for above 3000 Ghana cedis was 10%. Motorcycle accidents predominantly affected men (39%) and the age groups 15-25 and 26-35 years. Demographic factors like age (χ2=21.11 p<0.001) and sex (χ2=5.03 p=0.025) were significantly associated with motorcycle accident occurrence. After adjusting for potential confounders ( age, family size, sex, income level, level of education, maintenance, having license, employment status) factors such as level of education, sex (male/female), maintenance only when motorcycle breaks down, having a licence to ride and income level were significantly associated with motorcycle accidents (p<0.05). Motorcycle accidents remained prevalent (37%) and significantly related to factors such as being a male, license to ride, low income level, level of education and maintenance only when motorcycle breaks down. Policies and regulations aimed at promoting safer road practices for motorcycle and other road users need to be enforced in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.