Citation

Inj. Prev. 2010; 16(Suppl 1): A279-A279.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/ip.2010.029215.992

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

During the 2010 World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, the Road traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) is organising a parallel session with the objective of presenting multiple strategies for developing capacity for research on Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). Currently the RTIRN is a partnership of 470 individuals and institutions from 60 countries that collaborate to further research on the impact and causes of RTI in LMIC and to identify appropriate interventions to reduce the magnitude of the problem. The experience of one of the nine "Junior researchers" who received funding from RTIRN will be presented in this session. RTIRN has also provided financing for sabbaticals to "Senior researchers": four researchers from LMIC benefited and one of them will present their experiences in the parallel session. In addition, the final results of lead research project of RTIRN around a Multi-country non-standard helmet use study will be presented for the first time. Collaborating institutions in nine LMIC undertook cross-sectional surveys, markets surveys and reviewed legislation and enforcement practices in order to document the prevalence and factors associated with non-standard helmet use. Findings suggest that wide-spread use of non-standard helmets in LMIC, may limit the potential gains of helmet use programs; and thus parallel legislation and enforcement on non-standard helmets, and strategies aimed at reducing the costs of standard helmets will be required to maximise the effects of existing campaigns. Results from these capacity development projects are of great importance not only to individual scientists but also to the global community of stakeholders interested in RTI prevention.