Secondary Data Analysis of Gender Differences in Road Crash using the National Health Database (2010-2020)

Background. Road traffic injuries remain a major public health concern and are among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In the Philippines, road traffic injuries ranked as the 12th leading cause of death in 2022, highlighting the need for evidence-based and context-specific prevention strategies, including gender-responsive approaches.

Objective. This study aimed to analyze gender-disaggregated patterns of road crash injuries in the Philippines from 2010 to 2020.

Methods. A secondary analysis of road crash injury data from 2010 to 2020 was conducted using the Department of Health–Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (DOH-ONEISS). Descriptive statistics were generated to characterize cases by sex. Associations between gender and selected variables were assessed using chi-square tests. Adjusted residuals were computed to identify significant cell-level differences. Statistical significance was set at p ≤0.05 at a 95% confidence level.

Results. Males accounted for 72.6% of recorded road crash injury cases in the ONEISS database during the study period. Significant gender differences were observed across age groups, pre-injury activity, victim type, hospital disposition, reported risk factors, vehicle type involved, injury patterns, and patient outcomes (p ≤0.05).

Conclusion. Marked gender disparities exist in road crash injuries in the Philippines. These findings support the integration of gender-sensitive perspectives into national and local road safety policies and programs. Strengthening gender-informed interventions across key domains, road safety management, safer road users, safer roads and vehicles, and post-crash response, may contribute to more targeted and equitable injury prevention strategies.