Do Functional Problems and Neighborhood Disturbances in and around the Home Trigger Injuries?

Abstract

The study has tried to identify whether poor self-rated health and home and neighbourhood environmental problems trigger injuries. The study used data from the Life & Health year 2008 survey, a postal questionnaire administered by Statistics Sweden in five administrative regions in central Sweden (Uppsala, S?dermanland, ?rebro, Varmland and V?stmanland). A random sample of 1,060,032 respondents aged 18 - 79 years had participated in the study. ?rebro and Varmland region had the highest proportions of injuries. People at their age between 18 to 24 years—males—tobacco and alcohol addicted had the highest proportions of injuries. Environmental factors such as disturbances in and around home had emerged as major triggering factors for injuries. Physical functional problems such as problem of buying own food, cooking, dressing-up and walking had been emerged as very strong predicting factors of injuries. Policy makers in Sweden could identify the poor neighborhood, disturb living condition through the housing companies and the cooperative housing societies to control injuries and promote safety.