Age and the risk of All-Terrain Vehicle-related injuries in children and adolescents: a cross sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundThe study was designed to determine if youth <16 years are at a greater risk of serious injuries related to all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use compared to older adolescents and adults.MethodsWe performed cross sectional study of children and adults presenting to pediatric and adult emergency departments between 1990 and 2009 in Canada. The primary exposure variable was age <16 years and the primary outcome measure was moderate to serious injury determined from physician report of type and severity of injury.ResultsAmong 5005 individuals with complete data, 58% were <16 years and 35% were admitted to hospital. The odds of a moderate to serious injury versus minor injury among ATV users <16 years of age was not different compared with those ≥16 years of age (OR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.06). After adjusting for era, helmet use, sex and driver status, youth <16 years were more likely to present with a head injury (aOR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.19–1.77) or fractures (aOR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.43–1.81), compared with those ≥16 years. Male participants (aOR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.06–1.38) and drivers (aOR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12–1.51) were more likely to experience moderate or serious injuries than females and passengers. Helmet use was associated with significant protection from head injuries (aOR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44–0.78).ConclusionsYouth under 16 years are at an increased risk of head injuries and fractures. For youth and adults presenting to emergency departments with an ATV-related injury, moderate to serious injuries associated with ATV use are more common among drivers and males. Helmet use protected against head injuries, suggesting minimum age limits for ATV use and helmet use are warranted.

Pediatric hospitalizations and in-patient mortality from all-terrain vehicle crashes, 2006–2016

“…1 Type and distribution of non-fatal injuries also vary by age and gender in single institution studies. 11,22 In the multivariate regression performed for the present study, however, age greater than or less than 16 years of age did not affect mortality though there did appear to be a higher rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 population for patients 16 years and under.…”

“…1 Overall, patient demographics, including average age and gender distribution, are similar to those reported in previous literature where the majority of patients are male. 9,11,21 The proportion of patients hospitalized for ATV-related injuries increased with age with the greatest proportion between 15 and 18 years old across all years studied. Despite recommendations from a variety of established sources that the age of ATV use be restricted to older than 16 years old, studies show a wide age range of patients involved in ATV crashes.…”

“…6,7 Local hospital administrative data and state level data suggest increased severity of injuries secondary to ATV crashes compared to motor vehicle collisions and sports activities in the same population. [8][9][10][11] The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample further supports significant injuries and charges related to ATV crashes with studies evaluating the efficacy of public health interventions. 7 State-and region-specific evaluations, however, have been unable to capture the magnitude of severe injuries occurring in pediatric patients due to ATV crashes.…”

An evaluation of the impact of FIFA World Cup on soccer emergency department injuries among Montreal adolescents

“…Finally, using only soccer‐related injuries, results comparing those that occurred during FIFA WC with those when there was no FIFA WC were presented in a table according to (i) the nature of the injury, (ii) the body part involved, (iii) the severity (using level of treatment, a proxy for severity developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada/CHIRPP that has been used in several published studies, where injuries treated only in the ED are considered minor and those that required a follow‐up, or an admission, are deemed severe) and (iv) the mechanisms (what caused the injury). Two separate sets of comparisons were presented, one for organised soccer and one for non‐organised soccer.…”

Conservative Management of Severe Cerebral Trauma

“…Both sports-and vehiclerelated accidents open a field for accident prevention. In this regard recent biomechanical examinations of human skulls could clearly demonstrate an 87% reduction of acceleration forces experienced during force impact by bicycle helmets advocating the use of bicycle helmets as important preventive tool to reduce severity of associated TBI (Mattei et al 2012, McLean et al 2017.…”