Helmet regulation in Vietnam: impact on health, equity and medical impoverishment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Vietnam's 2007 comprehensive motorcycle helmet policy increased helmet use from about 30% of riders to about 93%. We aimed to simulate the effect that this legislation might have on: (a) road traffic deaths and non-fatal injuries, (b) individuals' direct acute care injury treatment costs, (c) individuals' income losses from missed work and (d) individuals' protection against medical impoverishment.

Methods and findings

We used published secondary data from the literature to perform a retrospective extended cost-effectiveness analysis simulation study of the policy. Our model indicates that in the year following its introduction a helmet policy employing standard helmets likely prevented approximately 2200 deaths and 29 000 head injuries, saved individuals US$18 mi

SUBMITTER: Olson Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4975813 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature