Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109960

Rebecca Smith, MSPH, Traumalink, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th and Civic Center Blvd, 3535 Traumalink, 10th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Michael J. Kallan, MS, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, 523 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, and Dennis R. Durbin, MD, MSCE, TraumaLink, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, 3535 TraumaLink, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-590-7331, durbind@email.chop.edu.

Objective: To describe characteristics of 8-12 year old children in seatbelts and identify risk factors for injury. Methods: This study was performed as part of Partners for Child Passenger Safety, an ongoing, child-specific crash surveillance system that links insurance claims data to telephone survey and crash investigation data. All crashes between 12/1/98 and 12/31/03, involving an occupant aged 8-12 years who was restrained by a seatbelt while riding in a model year 1990 or newer vehicle reported to State Farm Insurance Companies from 16 states and Washington, DC, were eligible for this study. A probability sample of eligible crashes was selected for a telephone survey with the driver of the vehicle using a previously validated instrument. The study sample was weighted according to each subject's probability of selection, with analysis conducted on the weighted sample. Results: The weighted study sample consists of 70,652 children aged 8-12 years. Of these, 11% were using a lap-only belt, 33% were sitting in the front seat, and 18% were riding with a non-parent driver. The most common crashes occurred during daytime hours, on local roads, and during everyday driving trips. The overall risk of injury for 8-12 year olds is higher than younger children in child restraints (1.7% vs. <1%). Head and face injuries are predominating. Risk factors for injury include: lap-only belts, pickup trucks, young drivers, and crash severity. Conclusion: This study suggests that current vehicle seatbelts do not provide optimal protection as defined by the performance of child restraints.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Identify the most common body regions of injuries to 8-12 year olds in motor vehicle crashes.
• 2. Describe the risk factors for injury for 8-12 year olds in motor vehicle crashes.
• 3. Discuss ways to improve protection to older children in motor vehicles.

Keywords: Motor Vehicles, Child/Adolescent

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.