Svetlana Cociu
@usmf.md
Department of Preventive Medicine
Scopus Publications
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Scopus Publications
Angela CAZACU-STRATU, Svetlana COCIU, Alexandru PLAMADEALA, and Madalina COMAN
Asociatia de Biosiguranta si Biosecuritate din Republica Moldova
Introduction. Around 950,000 children and teenagers die each year as a result of injuries and violence throughout the world. The most common cause of death for children under the age of five is trauma that occurs in the home environment. Aim of the study: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents with children aged 0-5 years old regarding unintentional injuries among home environment. Materials and methods. Parents of children under five years old were asked to complete a survey between October and December 2021, which was distributed online via social media. The questionnaire contained 43 items and was analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results. The questionnaire was completed by 300 parents with children up to 5 years old, mostly aged between 26-35 years old (72%), with high education (79.3%), of them 96% females, majority from urban areas (79.7%), with medium socio-economic status. Nearly 75% of respondents believe their child could get hurt at home, most commonly through an injury (42.7%), followed by ingesting foreign objects (22%). Falls were the primary cause of the majority of the child's accidents over the last year (60%) despite them being uncommon (54.7%) and infrequent (22%) in nature. Most often (54.7%), parents said that they see and hear their child all the time, but occasionally leave them for a short time. When their child suffered an injury at home, only 33.3% of parents sought medical attention. Conclusion. The results of this study will allow for a greater focus on young children's safety in the household. By identifying and emphasizing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents with children 0–5 years old, we will be able to notify the necessary authorities and advise particular measures to prevent home accidents.
Svetlana COCIU, Olga IONCU, Daniela CIOBANU, and Serghei CEBANU
Asociatia de Biosiguranta si Biosecuritate din Republica Moldova
Introduction. Road traffic injuries are a significant issue for society in the twenty-first century, but public health experts frequently ignore them despite the fact that massive and coordinated efforts are required for their effective and long-term prevention. Human factors and poor driving performance are the most significant contributors to car accidents globally, as shown by a series of studies exploring the causes of traffic road accidents. Since road safety is a key concern in developing countries, our research focuses on the car driver behavioral risk factors in the Republic of Moldova.
 Material and methods. A cross-sectional quantitative descriptive using a questionnaire was applied online via a Google form document among car drivers, between January-March 2022. Microsoft Excel was used for the statistical analyses. 
 Results. The questionnaire was completed by 257 respondents above 18 years, of which 61.9% were female and 38.1% were male, mostly with a category B license (73.5%) and majority from urban area (87.5%). More than half (55.6%) mention that drove a car daily and 30% of them have a drive experience of more than ten years. Respondents express great concern (71.2%) about the issue of traffic accidents, and 76.3% think that unsafe roads are a key contributing factor. At least once being involved as a driver in road accidents where medical care was needed was mentioned by 2.7% of respondents. 
 Conclusions. Educational programs and awareness campaigns about road safety among drivers and other vulnerable road users should be systematically organized.
Svetlana Cociu, Cara J. Hamann, Serghei Cebanu, Angela Cazacu-Stratu, Mădălina Adina Coman, and Corinne Peek-Asa
Pensoft Publishers
Aim: The aims of this study were to evaluate the demographics and crash profiles of road traffic-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients treated at two emergency departments in the Republic of Moldova, and to identify areas for prevention. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted using data from the medical records of a pilot TBI registry from the emergency departments of two large hospitals in Moldova. The study sample included patients with TBI related to road traffic mechanisms from March 1 to August 31, 2019. Results: During the study period, 368 patients were included in the TBI registry, with 113 (30.7%) of them having TBIs caused by traffic. Children under the age of 18 (44.2%), people aged 30-49 (18.6%), and males (71.7%) were the largest proportions of the road traffic-related TBI patient population. Most (78.8%) of the TBI injuries occurred in a transportation area (street, road, highway, etc.), among children under age of 18, while walking (36.7%) or riding in a passenger vehicle (68.4%). Pedestrians (42.5%) accounted for the most cases, followed by passengers (33.6%) and drivers (23.9%). Over two-thirds of all cases were tested for alcohol. Most cases were in June (20.4%) and between 2 pm and 6 pm (29.2%) within the research period. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine the road traffic-related traumatic brain injuries in the Republic of Moldova, which underlines the high burden of injuries among males, children, and the middle-aged population. Results from this study will help to support the development of a country’s national TBI registry and can argue for the running of comprehensive measures in road injury prevention targeted to the most affected populations
Svetlana COCIU, Angela CAZACU-STRATU, and Serghei CEBANU
Asociatia de Biosiguranta si Biosecuritate din Republica Moldova
Introduction. The latest WHO report on the prevention of road injuries emphasizes the need to improve road safety management, especially in developing countries, the analysis of traffic accidents, as well as the application of good practices adapted to local conditions. The Republic of Moldova has a fragmented road injury reporting system, so the purpose of this study was to study the trends and general aspects of road injuries in the country's population.
 Material and methods. A cross-sectional, descriptive research was carried out during 2007-2020, which studied the main indicators of morbidity and mortality rates due to injuries and road injuries among the adult population of the Republic of Moldova, based on the official statistical data of the National Agency for Public Health and the National Bureau of Statistics from the Republic of Moldova 
 Results. The study's findings revealed that in terms of the general prevalence of the population, traumatic injuries, poisoning, and other consequences of external sources rank 8th across the republic and 6th in Chisinau. The mortality indicators of the population according to the main causes of death, rank injuries and poisonings are on the 4th place, and injuries caused by road accidents on the 2nd place both in the republic and in the capital city. There is a slight downward trend in the mortality indicators of the population due to traffic accidents.
 Conclusions. The obtained data pointed out the importance of road behavior improvement among the entire society, whereas the specialists from various fields should be permanently involved in activities of raising awareness among all road traffic participants.
Angela Cazacu-Stratu, Nane-Katharina Varga, Svetlana Cociu, Diana Dulf, and Corinne Peek-Asa
Informa UK Limited
Abstract Objective The Republic of Moldova has one of the European region’s highest road traffic injury rates and also has an increase in motorization and exposure of children as vehicle passengers. This study describes child restraint use, and parents’ knowledge and attitudes toward child restraint based on observations in Chisinau, the country’s capital and largest city. The study aims to describe the use of child restraints and to compare data with existing standards of good practice. Methods An observational study on child safety restraint use was conducted in 2018. Observational sites included 22 early education institutions, where drivers (n = 611) and child passengers (n = 710) were observed. Observations were conducted as motor vehicles parked or pulled to a stop near the early education institutions and included a driver survey on knowledge and attitudes toward restraint legislation and child safety behavior. Results Of the 710 child passengers observed, 462 (65.1%) were appropriately restrained, 145 (20.4%) were seated in restraints inappropriate for the child and 103 (14.5%) of children were unrestrained. Younger children (0-3 year-old) were 7 times more likely to be properly restrained compared with children with ages between 4 and 6 (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.22). Two-thirds out of 609 observed drivers with full study data, N = 431 (70,8%), knew about the mandatory legislation on using child safety restraints in the Republic of Moldova. The drivers using child safety restraints responded that they used them because of their safety features, and the major reason for nonuse was high price/affordability. Conclusion This study, the first to document child safety restraint use among children, indicates that much progress has been made, in that the majority of children are restrained and most drivers of children are aware of safety policies. However, progress can be made to increase knowledge and motivation to safely transport children, and to ensure safety seats are affordable and available. These data will be an important foundation on which to advocate for increased safety activities, child restraint policies, educational approaches in Moldova and to monitor progress over time.
Svetlana COCIU, , Olga IONCU, Camelia CAZACU-STRATU, Serghei CEBANU, Cara HAMANN, , , , and
Asociatia de Biosiguranta si Biosecuritate din Republica Moldova
Introduction. Road traffic injuries are a major public health problem, ranking 8th in the leading causes of death and are forecasted to rank 5th by 2030 worldwide. Children, pedestrians, cyclists and the elderly remain among those most at risk of road traffic injuries. Material and methods. A specialized literature search was conducted within the main international databases, including: PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Research Gate, using a set of inclusion criteria. Data from references were extracted systematically into results tables, including: author/citation, study design, assessments/data, limitations, and key facts. Reported outcomes were compiled in narrative form. Results. Many researchers and scientists both in the country and abroad have studied road injuries. Authors of the studies used different methods and obtained obvious data about road traumas and major risk factors. Among the main causes of unintentional motor vehicle injuries were excessive speed, alcohol consumption while driving, mental disorder, drugs, and unsupervised children. There is an increasing incidence of road injuries among children, and most of the road traffic crashes involving children occur in May-September, between 11.00 and 18.00. The obtained results motivate the need to study this topic in depth, on separate age groups, and to propose specific prevention measures for each actor involved. Conclusions. There are many factors, which contributes to road crashes and related injuries, but those requires multisectoral involvement.