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Helmets decrease risk of head injury, mortality in skiers, snowboarders

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Helmets decrease the risk and severity of head injuries and mortality in skiers and snowboarders, according to new research from the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.

“There really is a great case to be made for wearing helmets,” Adil H. Haider, MD, MPH, lead author and associate professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated in a press release. “By increasing awareness and giving people scientific proof, we hope behavior changes will follow.”

Haider and colleagues analyzed 16 studies from PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases published from 1981 and 2011. They studied outcomes of helmet use, including head injury, head injury severity, mortality, risk compensation behavior, and neck or cervical spine injury, according to the abstract.

The researchers found that not only do helmets decrease the number and severity of head injuries, the protective gear also does not increase risk compensation behavior or increase risk of neck or cervical spine injuries in skiers and snowboarders.

“These are all just excuses,” Haider said. “Our research shows none of those theories hold water.”

Reference:

Haider AH. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012;doi:10.1097/TA.0b013e318270bbca.

Disclosure: The authors received support from the National Institute of General Medical Studies and the American College of Surgeons’ C. James Carrico Fellowship for the Study of Trauma and Critical care to conduct this study.