Research shows that the number of consumer product-related traumatic brain injuries in children has increased significantly since 2000
Traumatic brain injury, a major public health problem, is the leading cause of death and disability in children aged 0 to 4 years and 15 to 19 years. With an average of 308,000 cases per year in the United States, such accidents are common among school-age children participating in sports and play activities involving equipment (e.g., cycling, soccer, basketball, and football).
New research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, examines consumer product-related traumatic brain injury (CP-TBI) in school-age children over a 20-year period by differentiating age groups, education levels and gender and evaluating trends with the time-point regression method. Their findings reveal insights that have implications for effective preventive strategies and policies.
This serial cross-sectional study used National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) data for initial emergency department (ED) visits for CP/TBI from January 2000 to December 2019 for 6.2 million children under the age of 5. 18 years.
The study documents a significant increase in CP-TBI incidents since 2000, accounting for more than 12% of all US hospital emergency room visits by school-age children in 2019, up from 4.5% in 2000. The rate of increase stabilized overall, after peaking in 2012, to an annual level of 3.6% over the entire study period. This may be partly due to widespread media attention and public health policies that have resulted in greater risk awareness regarding contact sports, increased reporting of incidents, and more effective prevention and treatment.
The incidence of CP-TBI was higher in boys than in girls. However, annual percentage increases since 2013 have been significantly greatest among girls, especially among high school-age girls.
“While it appears that efforts to reduce TBI in children’s sports have been effective, our findings suggest that more targeted efforts are needed among girls,” said lead investigator Tuan D. Le, MD, DrPH, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Community and Rural Health, The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, Tyler; and Research Directorate, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA.
CP-TBI has a negative impact not only on affected individuals, but also on their families, schools and healthcare systems. “Parents, sports and activities staff and coaches, educators, caregivers and support members, and the children themselves all need more awareness and training about screening and when to seek care for mild and more severe TBI in children. Improved point-of-care screening should be developed and promoted to identify and treat injuries that are not always immediately visible,” explains Dr. Le.
He added: “Since inactivity in children is also a serious problem, we are faced with a difficult balancing act: how do we develop awareness of how to avoid risky activities without discouraging children from participating in healthy and fun exercise?”
