Determinants of drink-driving and association between drink-driving and road traffic fatalities in Ghana

Aim The objective is to establish determinants of drink-driving and its association with traffic crashes in Ghana. Methods A multivariable logistic regression was used to establish significant determinants of drink-driving and a bivariate logistic regression to establish the association between drink–driving and road traffic crashes in Ghana. Results In total, 2,736 motorists were randomly stopped for breath testing of whom 8.7% tested positive for alcohol. Among the total participants, 5.5% exceeded the legal BAC limit of 0.08%. Formal education is associated with a reduced likelihood of drink-driving compared with drivers without formal education. The propensity to drink-drive is 1.8 times higher among illiterate drivers compared with drivers with basic education. Young adult drivers also recorded elevated likelihoods for driving under alcohol impairment compared with adult drivers. The odds of drink-driving among truck drivers is OR=1.81, (95% CI=1.16 to 2.82) and two wheeler riders is OR=1.41, (95% CI=0.47 to 4.28) compared with car drivers. Contrary to general perception, commercial car drivers have a significant reduced likelihood of 41%, OR=0.59, (95% CI=0.38 to 0.92) compared with the private car driver. Bivariate analysis conducted showed a significant association between the proportion of drivers exceeding the legal BAC limit and road traffic fatalities, p<0.001. The model predicts a 1% increase in the proportion of drivers exceeding the legal BAC to be associated with a 4% increase in road traffic fatalities, 95% CI= 3% to 5% and vice versa. Conclusion A positive and significant association between roadside alcohol prevalence and road traffic fatality has been established. Scaling up roadside breath test, determining standard drink and disseminating to the populace and formulating policies targeting the youth such as increasing minimum legal drinking age and reduced legal BAC limit for the youth and novice drivers might improve drink-driving related crashes in Ghana.

Determinants of drink-driving and association between drink-driving and road traffic fatalities in Ghana

Background Drink-driving has been implicated in many road traffic crashes in the world. Consequently, the developed countries have prioritized drink-driving research. Contrary, drink-driving research has not attained any meaningful consideration in many developing countries. It is therefore imperative to intensify drink-driving research so as to provide research driven solutions to the menace. Aims The objective is to establish determinants of drink-driving and its association with traffic crashes in Ghana. Methods A randomized roadside breathalyzer survey was conducted. A multivariable logistic regression was used to establish significant determinants of drink-driving and a bivariate logistic regression to establish the association between drink–driving and road traffic crashes in Ghana. Results In total, 2,736 motorists were randomly stopped for breath testing of whom 8.7% tested positive for alcohol. Among the total participants, 5.5% exceeded the legal BAC limit of 0.08%. Formal education is associated with a reduced likelihood of drink-driving compared with drivers without formal education. The propensity to drink-drive is 1.8 times higher among illiterate drivers compared with drivers with basic education. Young adult drivers also recorded elevated likelihoods for driving under alcohol impairment compared with adult drivers. The odds of drink-driving among truck drivers is OR=1.81, (95% CI=1.16 to 2.82) and two wheeler riders is OR=1.41, (95% CI=0.47 to 4.28) compared with car drivers. Contrary to general perception, commercial car drivers have a significant reduced likelihood of 41%, OR=0.59, (95% CI=0.38 to 0.92) compared with the private car driver. Bivariate analysis conducted showed a significant association between the proportion of drivers exceeding the legal BAC limit and road traffic fatalities, p<0.001. The model predicts a 1% increase in the proportion of drivers exceeding the legal BAC to be associated with a 4% increase in road traffic fatalities, 95% CI= 3% to 5% and vice versa. Discussion and conclusion A positive and significant association between roadside alcohol prevalence and road traffic fatality has been established. Scaling up roadside breath test, determining standard drink and disseminating to the populace and formulating policies targeting the youth such as increasing minimum legal drinking age and reduced legal BAC limit for the youth and novice drivers might improve drink-driving related crashes in Ghana.

Malaria imported from Ghana by returning gold miners, China, 2013

During May-August 2013, a malaria outbreak comprising 874 persons in Shanglin County, China, was detected among 4,052 persons returning from overseas. Ghana was the predominant destination country, and 92.3% of malarial infections occurred in gold miners. Preventive measures should be enhanced for persons in high-risk occupations traveling to malaria-endemic countries.

Prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving and riding in northern Ghana

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the roadside prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving among drivers and riders in northern Ghana. The study also verifies motorists’ perception on their own alcohol use and knowledge of legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of Ghana. Method With the assistance of police, the systematic random sampling was used to collect data at roadblocks using a cross-sectional study design. Breathalyzers were used to screen whether motorists had detectable alcohol in their breath and a follow-up breath tests conducted to measure the actual breath alcohol levels among positive participants. Results In all, 9.7% of the 789 participants had detectable alcohol among whom 6% exceeded the legal (BAC) limit of 0.08%. The prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving/riding was highest among cyclists (10% of all cyclists breath tested) followed by truck drivers 9% and motorcyclists (7% of all motorcyclists breath tested). The occurrence of a positive BAC among cyclists was about 8 times higher, (OR=7.73; p<0.001) and 2 times higher, among motorcyclists (OR=2.30; p=0.039) compared with private car drivers. The likelihood for detecting a positive BAC among male motorists/riders was higher than females (OR=1.67; p=0.354). The odds for detecting a positive BAC among weekend motorists/riders was significantly higher than weekdays (OR=2.62; p=0.001). Conclusion Alcohol-impaired driving/riding in Ghana is high by international standards. In order to attenuate the harmful effects of alcohol misuse such as alcohol-impaired driving/riding, there is the need to educate road users about how much alcohol they can consume and stay below the legal limit. The police should also initiate random breath testing to instil the deterrence of detection, certainty of apprehension and punishment, and severity and celerity of punishment among drink-driving motorists and riders.

A pilot study of the Social Water Assessment Protocol in a mining region of Ghana

The Social Water Assessment Protocol (SWAP) is a tool consisting of a series of questions on fourteen themes designed to capture the social context of water around a mine site. A pilot study of the SWAP, conducted in Prestea-Huni Valley, Ghana, showed that some communities were concerned about whether the groundwater was potable. The mining company’s concern was that there was a cycle of dependency amongst communities that received treated water from the mining company. The pilot identified potential data sources and stakeholder groups for each theme, gaps in themes and suggested refinements to questions to improve the SWAP.