Leonela Yzeiraj1, Gentiana Qirjako1,2, Xheladin Draçini1, Gazmend Bejtja3, Genc Burazeri2
1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania;
2 Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania;
3 World Health Organization office, Tirana, Albania.
Background: Injuries and violence are one of the leading causes of death in Albania, after cardiovascular diseases (53.7%) and cancers (16.4%). According to INSTAT (2017), external causes of death accounted for about 4% of all deaths in Albania. The three leading causes of injury deaths in Albania are road traffic accidents, suicide and homicides. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the SDG progress of Albania in relation to unintentional injuries and deaths.
Methods: This analysis consisted of a comprehensive desk review of all the available evidence and information related to unintentional injuries in Albania. The information collected from all electronic sources and other documents was used for a detailed evaluation of the progress, achievements and challenges faced by Albania for meeting the SDG targets in relation to external causes of death.
Results: In general, there is a moderate decline of the death rates from road traffic accidents over the years in Albania. According to INSTAT, the mortality rate from road traffic accidents in the Albanian population was 11.4 vs. 6.2 deaths per 100,000 population in 1990 and 2017, respectively. Similarly, the drowning-related death rates’ and fire-related death rates’ trends have an important decrease over the years. On the other side, the fall-related death rates’ trend has a slight increase over the years. According to GHD, the estimated mortality rate from falls in the Albanian population was 1.78 vs. 2.88 deaths per 100,000 population in 1990 and 2017, respectively. There was evidence of a higher falls death rate in males compared with females during past three decades.
Conclusions: Although there is a decrease of mortality rate from unintentional injuries in Albania, they still constitute a major public health concern for the whole society. This decline has not been uniform for all types of injuries and for both genders. Improvement of the public health system is needed to protect against injuries and harm and promote healthy environments in the Albanian population.
Keywords: Albania,unintentional injuries, sustainable development goals (SDGs).