| Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are rapid and violent events that are potentially preventable. During the 5-year study period, there were over 162,000 MVCs resulting in more than 78,665 injuries on the roads in the state of New Hampshire. This study examined the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) has on the severity of injury in hospitalized patients, with the premise, people with lower SES have more severe injuries than people without low SES. This study expands on previous SES and injury research on hospitalized children in one county to include all hospitalized patients in an entire state. Secondary datasets were linked together to produce a dataset describing MVCs and their outcomes. Variables in this dataset were analyzed using a student's t-test for significance then included in a full linear regression model which revealed age, gender, median family income, percentage of families in poverty, and being the driver to be associated with and increase in injury severity scores. Age, gender, and being the driver remained associated in a stepwise linear regression model. In the analysis, those with the individual low SES indicator, as measured by Medicaid or self insured, had significantly worse injuries. One of the core functions of public heath is policy development. This research exemplifies policy development, legislators, safety, and public health policy makers will be able to concentrate resources such as education and enforcement in low SES communities to reduce the number and severity of injuries from MVCs. The limitations of this study and opportunities for future research include comorbidities, medical services, other vehicle safety equipment, and road conditions. |
