Non-fatal injuries in three Central and Eastern European urban population samples: the HAPIEE study.

"Conflicts of interest: None declared."

"Funding Wellcome Trust ‘Determinants of Cardiovascular Diseases in Eastern Europe: A multi-centre cohort study’ [064947/Z/01/Z] and ‘Determinants of Cardiovascular Diseases in Eastern Europe: Longitudinal follow-up of a multi-centre cohort study (The HAPIEE Project)’ [081081/Z/06/Z]; National Institute on Ageing ‘Health disparities and aging in societies in transition (the HAPIEE study)’ [1R01 AG23522-01]; and the MacArthur Foundation ‘MacArthur Initiative on Social Upheaval and Health’ [71208]. O.V. is a recipient of the Overseas Student Award and a PhD scholarship from University College London. Conflicts of interest: None declared. Key pointsThere is limited evidence on the prevalence and socio-economic patterns of non-fatal injury in CEE, as well as on the potential role of alcohol in this association.In this study, among older middle-aged urban population samples in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, the prevalence of self-reported non-fatal injuries in the last year was ∼10%.Injuries were associated with material deprivation, other socio-economic parameters and drinking. However, alcohol did not mediate the link between socio-economic status and injuries, suggesting that the role of alcohol in social differentials in non-fatal injury remains an unresolved issue.The results of this study underscore the universality of the inequality phenomenon and emphasize the importance of ensuring that public health policy tackles the underlying causes behind such social differences."