**6. Conclusions**

Rural and semi-urban regions of LMICs are predominantly characterized by numerous cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors for physical trauma. Existence of such factors sets the inhabitants of these regions at higher risk of physical trauma than those living in the city and high income countries. RTAs are the leading cause of trauma in most of these regions as a result of overcrowding of four-, three-, and two-wheeled motorized and nonmotorized vehicles and pedestrians in limited road spaces. Added factors for RTAs in these regions are: common drunk-driving and speeding behavior and infrastructure deficiencies such as lack of road lights and signs. Fall from trees and other falls (including falling with a load on the head) are other significant causes of physical trauma in these regions. Uniquely, these falls are precipitated crucial and necessary socioeconomic and cultural activities of the people making it complex to reduce incidents of tree climbing. Children sustain not only burn injuries, but are also common victims of fall from trees.

The majority of persons who sustain trauma in these regions are haphazardly handled and transported to health facility by laypersons hence increasing risk of secondary trauma and prehospital death. Evacuation, transport to health facility, management, and future rehabilitation of permanent disability is the end outcome is very costly. Such cost is incurred by the injured individual with his or her immediate family. There are also continuous disability-related health and rehabilitation cost such as function and mobility assistive devices which are also left to families to meet. Being a poor setting, most disabled persons and their families struggle to meet the entailed cost. As a result, a majority of disabled persons in these regions lack appropriate devices to enable their functioning. As a result, they end up being almost always dependent on others socioeconomically and in activities of daily living. This state lowers the quality of life and increases poverty levels to persons with disability and their families.
