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One-fifth of adolescents suffered TBI
The estimated lifetime prevalence of traumatic brain injury among adolescents was approximately 20%, according to data published in JAMA. Also, the use of cannabis or alcohol in the past year significantly increased the risk for traumatic brain injury.
“Traumatic brain injury (TBI) among adolescents has been identified as an important health priority,” researchers wrote. “However, studies of TBI among adolescents in large representative samples are lacking. This information is important to the planning and evaluation of injury prevention efforts, particularly because even minor TBI may have important adverse consequences.”
Gabriela Ilie, PhD, of the Injury Prevention Research Office at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues examined data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a population student survey of seventh through 12th graders.
TBI was defined as “an acquired head injury in which the student was unconscious for at least 5 minutes or hospitalized overnight.”
An estimated 20.2% (95% CI, 18.1%-22.4%) of adolescents had at least one TBI during their lives; 5.6% (95% CI, 4.2%-7.5%) of adolescents reported at least one TBI in the past year (6.9% of boys vs. 4.3% of girls), and 14.6% (95% CI, 13.4%-15.9%) said they suffered a TBI but not in the past year (16.2% of boys and 12.8% of girls).
Results also indicated that sports injuries accounted for 56% (95% CI, 50.5%-63%) of TBIs in the cohort, and were more common among boys (63.3% vs.46.9% of girls).
Adolescents who reported poor school grades were at an almost fourfold increased risk (OR=3.93; 95% CI, 2.13-7.27) for TBI compared with students who reported high grades. Adolescents who said they occasionally or frequently used cannabis or alcohol in the past year also were at a significantly increased risk for TBI. For example, students who used cannabis 10 or more times in the past year were more likely (OR=4.28; 95% CI, 3.05-6.02) to suffer a TBI compared with abstainers.
“The relationship among TBI, substance use, and poorer academic performance needs further investigation,” the researchers wrote. “The magnitude of the prevalence estimates and the associated risks identified within this representative sample support suggestions to improve understanding, prevention, and response to TBI among adolescents.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.