Question

Epidemiology:

Among those who are 25 years of age, those who have been driving less than 5 years had 13,700 motor vehicle accidents in 1 year, while those who had been driving for more than 5 years had 21,680 motor vehicle accidents during the same time period. It was concluded from these data that 25-year-olds with more driving experience have increased accidents compared to those who started driving later. This conclusion is:

Select one:

a. Correct based on the data

b. Incorrect because rates are not reported

c. Incorrect because prevalence estimates are given when incidence rates should be reported

d. Incorrect because there are no comparison groups identified

Answer 1

In the analysis of accident rates between different comparison groups, it is more appropriate to study the data at the point of incidence, otherwise we might end up studying only the prevalence data and end up ignoring, for example, those who did not survive the accident. Hence, it is more appropriate to study the incidence of accidents.

Additionally, studying the incidence rate rather than gives us an appropriate picture of the relative population proportions rather than using absolute numbers. Hence, c) is the correct option.