More than 6,500 kids, teens hurt by golf carts annually
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More than 6,500 children and adolescents experience a golf cart-related injury each year, according to data presented at the virtual AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
“Young children and teens use golf carts for recreational use (communities, farms, etc.) [and] at social events frequented by young children and teens such as sporting events, festivals and concerts,” Theodore J. Ganley, MD, director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Sports Medicine and Performance Center, told Healio Primary Care. “It's important that we raise awareness of the severity and types of injuries that golf carts pose to children, including preadolescents, so that greater prevention measures can be instituted in the future.”
Although regulations regarding golf cart use are not universal across the United States, “many places allow children as young as 14 to operate these vehicles with minimal oversight, paving the way for injury,” the AAP said in a press release. “In addition, children riding in golf carts driven by others can be thrown out and injured, or they can be seriously hurt if a golf cart rolls over.”
Ganley and colleagues analyzed golf cart injury data from 2010 to 2019 for individuals aged 0 to 21 years. The data were culled from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
The researchers identified 63,501 injuries to children and adolescents from golf carts during the study period, with the annual number of injuries steadily increasing each year. About half of the reported injuries were identified in children aged 0 to 12 years (mean age = 11.75 years; 95% CI, 11.15-12.34). Boys were more likely to be hurt compared with girls (51.92%; 95% CI, 48.45-55.37).
Most of the injuries were either superficial (42.68%; 95% CI, 38.77-46.68) or fractures/dislocations (20.11%; 95% CI, 16.21-24.66), and the majority took place in the head and neck area (42.45%; 95% CI, 39.05-45.91). Among all the injuries, most were non-severe (92%; 95% CI, 89.2-94.13%) and most frequently occurred at a school or a sporting event (60.71%, 95% CI, 52.41-68.44). In addition, the majority of patients were treated and released by hospitals and medical care establishments (91.11%; 95% CI, 88.4-93.24).
“While these findings do not directly change clinical practice, I am hopeful that increased awareness may lead to improvements in safety guidelines and regulations,” Ganley said.
References:
Marchioli M, et al. Nationwide Injury Trends Due to Motorized Golf Carts Among the Pediatric Population: An Observational Study of the NEISS Database from 2010-2019. Presented at: AAP National Conference & Exhibition; Oct. 8-11, 2021; (virtual meeting).
More than 6,500 children injured by golf carts each year. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2021/more-than-6500-children-injured-by-golf-carts-each-year-study-finds/. Published Oct. 8, 2021. Accessed under embargo Oct. 6, 2021.