Acceptability and feasibility of a novel community-based approach to improve injury data: a religious-based organisation injury survey in Ghana
1
Injury Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia
2
Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
3
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
4
Global Injury Program, The George Institute for Global Health UK, London, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3710
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Robust, comprehensive injury data are essential for informing effective prevention strategies; however, Ghana and many LMICs lack such data [1-4]. An alternative community-based approach to collecting injury data is needed to comprehensively measure the true burden and to plan prevention strategies. Religion-based organisations (RBOs), which have played a significant role in addressing health needs [5-7], offer a promising and novel approach to help close these data gaps. This study assessed the acceptability and feasibility of RBOs for routine injury data collection.
METHODS:
A survey was conducted among RBOs in Kumasi, Ghana. A multistage sampling method was used to recruit individuals who sustained an injury in the 12 months preceding data collection. Trained enumerators collected data with a structured questionnaire. Data were collected on the burden of injuries and on the theoretical framework of acceptability. Data were summarised descriptively. We estimated incidence per 1,000 RBO member-years and mortality per 100 injuries. ANOVA and t-tests were used to assess differences in acceptability across demographic groups.
RESULTS:
A total of 363 members and 29 leaders participated in the study. The average ages of members and leaders were 41.25 and 48.80 years, respectively. A higher percentage of members were female, and all leaders were male. The estimated standardised mean (75.60) acceptability score was high and did not differ between members and leaders. Injury incidence was 15.7 per 1,000 member-years (95% CI: 14.1–17.3). The incidence rate was 1.47 times higher in males than in females. Mortality rate was 72.0 per 1,000 injuries, higher than previous studies. Traffic injuries caused the highest rates of severe (31.0%) and fatal injuries (12.1%).
CONCLUSIONS:
This first RBO injury survey demonstrates high acceptability and feasibility of RBO injury data collection. The findings indicate that RBOs could serve as a practical, community-based system to address the gaps in injury data.
Robust, comprehensive injury data are essential for informing effective prevention strategies; however, Ghana and many LMICs lack such data [1-4]. An alternative community-based approach to collecting injury data is needed to comprehensively measure the true burden and to plan prevention strategies. Religion-based organisations (RBOs), which have played a significant role in addressing health needs [5-7], offer a promising and novel approach to help close these data gaps. This study assessed the acceptability and feasibility of RBOs for routine injury data collection.
METHODS:
A survey was conducted among RBOs in Kumasi, Ghana. A multistage sampling method was used to recruit individuals who sustained an injury in the 12 months preceding data collection. Trained enumerators collected data with a structured questionnaire. Data were collected on the burden of injuries and on the theoretical framework of acceptability. Data were summarised descriptively. We estimated incidence per 1,000 RBO member-years and mortality per 100 injuries. ANOVA and t-tests were used to assess differences in acceptability across demographic groups.
RESULTS:
A total of 363 members and 29 leaders participated in the study. The average ages of members and leaders were 41.25 and 48.80 years, respectively. A higher percentage of members were female, and all leaders were male. The estimated standardised mean (75.60) acceptability score was high and did not differ between members and leaders. Injury incidence was 15.7 per 1,000 member-years (95% CI: 14.1–17.3). The incidence rate was 1.47 times higher in males than in females. Mortality rate was 72.0 per 1,000 injuries, higher than previous studies. Traffic injuries caused the highest rates of severe (31.0%) and fatal injuries (12.1%).
CONCLUSIONS:
This first RBO injury survey demonstrates high acceptability and feasibility of RBO injury data collection. The findings indicate that RBOs could serve as a practical, community-based system to address the gaps in injury data.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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