Significant increase seen in pediatric hospitalizations for ATV-related injuries

All-terrain vehicles are associated with a “significant and increasing” number of hospitalizations for children in the United States, according to a report in the October issue of the Journal of Trauma.

During a 9-year period from 1997 to 2006, investigators with the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore found that hospitalizations for all-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries increased 150% among individuals younger than 18 years.

Traumatic brain injury on the rise

The investigators analyzed hospital discharge data from the Kids’ Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Injury severity scores were calculated for each hospitalization, and results showed that all types of injury — minor, moderate and major — increased during the study period.

The rates for hospitalizations with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury tripled during the span of the study.

“In our study, 30% of patients hospitalized for ATV-related injuries had a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury,” Stephen M. Bowman, PhD, MHA, the lead author of the study, stated in a press release. “Increasing helmet use through a combination of policy and education is critical to curbing the increasing trend in ATV-related hospitalizations among children.”

Demographic variations

The investigators also found important demographic variations in the results, noting that the rates of ATV-related injuries increased most dramatically in teens aged 15 to 17 years. Males between the ages of 15 and 17 years had the highest rate of ATV hospitalization, but females of the same age range experienced the sharpest rise — an increase of 250% — in ATV hospitalizations during the same time period.

“All-terrain vehicles are inherently dangerous to children,” Bowman stated in the release. “While manufacturers are required to label vehicles with engine sizes greater than 90cc as inappropriate for children younger than 16 [years], our data indicate that a growing number of children are receiving serious injuries due to ATV use — suggesting that parents are unaware of these recommendations or are choosing to ignore them.”

The study was one of the first to examine whether rates of hospitalizations due to ATV injuries have continued to increase since the 1998 expiration of a decade-long consent decree between representatives of the ATV industry and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to reduce the risk of injury associated with ATV use.

Provisions of the decree included a ban on the sale of three-wheeled ATVs, a free nationwide training program for all ATV purchasers, improved safety labeling and a public awareness campaign. Since its expiration, the decree has been continued by some manufacturers on a voluntary basis.

Reference:
www.jhsph.edu

Follow ORTHOSuperSite.com on Twitter