HO CHI MINH City, Vietnam - July 30, 2015

Motorcyclists on a busy street in HCMC. Credit: CDC Vietnam’s high rate of road injury and death is gaining the attention it deserves as a major public health concern.

Through a mini-grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and TEPHINET, epidemiologists are measuring the effect of the national helmet law in reducing head injuries and death in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). As part of Vietnam’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), these professionals will utilize data to analyze this health issue and make policy recommendations.

Working with Cu Chi’s general hospital, the team developed a data collection tool and has abstracted information from patient records. Of the 18,000 records related to injuries, nearly 70 % were due to incidents on the road.

Though the project is currently in the data analysis phase, it will mark an important contribution to policy evaluation and development. Moreover, it will provide an excellent field research case study that could be replicated and scaled up in other countries to address the global need for better road safety.