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Pediatric injuries resulting from use of all-terrain vehicles
D L Bercher1, K Staley, L W Turner
1Department of Emergency Medical Sciences, University of Arkansas, Medical Sciences, USA.
Insights
Annually, 20,000 children are injured on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). A review of Arkansas data from 1998-1999 revealed high child ATV injury rates in many rural counties, indicating a need for further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric injury prevention
- Public health surveillance
- Emergency medical services research
Background:
- All-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries pose a significant risk to children, with approximately 20,000 pediatric injuries annually.
- Limited data exists on the scope and distribution of child ATV injuries within specific regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review child-ATV injuries in Arkansas.
- To identify geographic areas with high injury rates requiring further investigation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of emergency medical service (EMS) transports for children aged 0-19 years with ATV-related injuries in Arkansas.
- Data collected for the years 1998 to 1999.
- Identification of prehospital-reported child-ATV emergencies by county and calculation of emergency encounter rates.
Main Results:
- EMS transported 319 children for ATV-related injuries in Arkansas between 1998 and 1999.
- Available data indicated high ATV injury rates in numerous rural Arkansas counties.
- Child ATV injury information in Arkansas is notably limited.
Conclusions:
- Rural Arkansas counties experienced high rates of child ATV injuries during the study period.
- The findings highlight a need for targeted injury prevention strategies and further research in specific rural areas.
- Enhancing data collection on child ATV injuries is crucial for effective public health interventions.
Abstract:
Annually, 20,000 children are injured while operating all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The purpose of this paper was to review child-ATV injuries in Arkansas and identify any areas in need of further investigation. An analysis of emergency-medical-service transports was done for children 0-19 years who had ATV-related injuries in Arkansas from 1998 to 1999. Prehospital-reported child-ATV emergencies were identified, separated by county, and emergency encounter rates were calculated. Our results indicate that emergency medical services (EMS) transported 319 children in Arkansas from 1998 to 1999. ATV injury information is limited in Arkansas, but available data indicate high injury rates existed for many rural counties.