Citation

Javouhey E, Guerin AC, Gadegbeku B, Floret D, Chiron M. Arch. Dis. Child. 2006; 91(4): 304-308.

Affiliation

Inrets and Hopital edouard Herriot, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/adc.2005.084756

PMID

16407436

PMCID

PMC2065966

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the injury distribution between children and adults, injured as restrained car passengers. Design and SETTING: Population-based study of data from a French road trauma Registry in 1996-2002. Patients and measurements: Children under 15 years old were compared with adult casualties according to the distribution of serious injuries in three distinct body regions: head, chest and abdomen, when they were restrained car passengers. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to quantify the risk of AIS2+ injury (Abbreviated injury Scale of 2 or more). RESULTS: Among the 7568 casualties who were injured as restrained car passengers in car accidents, 1033 were less than 15 years old. Overall, 35.4% of children and 25.2% of adults were unrestrained (p /=16, were not significantly different between restrained and not restrained casualties. Compared to adults, restrained children aged 5 to 9 were 2.7 times (OR 2.74; 95%CI: 1.17, 6.43) as likely to sustain an AIS2+ abdominal injury, tended to be more at risk of AIS2+ head injuries, but were less at risk of AIS2+ chest injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Children aged 5 to 9 years injured in a road accident as restrained car passengers were more likely to sustain an AIS2+ abdominal injury than adults. This emphasizes the need to reinforce educational campaigns aimed not only at getting children into restraint systems, but also insisting upon their correct use.