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Pediatric scooter-related injuries
Lori A Montagna1, Sandra J Cunningham, Ellen F Crain
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Insights
Nonmotorized scooter injuries are common in children, with head and extremity trauma frequent. Despite awareness of safety gear, few children wear helmets or pads, leading to significant injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric emergency medicine
- Trauma research
- Injury prevention
Background:
- Nonmotorized scooters are popular among children.
- Scooter-related injuries pose a significant public health concern.
- Understanding injury patterns and safety equipment use is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the circumstances and types of injuries from nonmotorized scooters.
- To evaluate children's and parents' knowledge of safety precautions.
- To assess the actual use of safety equipment during scooter use.
Main Methods:
- Study included children under 18 with nonmotorized scooter injuries.
- Data collected via chart review and clinician-administered surveys.
- Analysis focused on injury types, circumstances, and safety equipment usage.
Main Results:
- 101 children sustained 159 injuries; head/face/neck and extremities were most affected.
- Contusions, fractures, and lacerations were the most common injury types.
- Despite high awareness (71.4%) and access (66.7%), only 15.9% wore safety equipment.
Conclusions:
- Nonmotorized scooter trauma leads to considerable morbidity in children.
- Awareness of safety equipment does not translate to consistent use.
- Targeted interventions are needed to improve safety equipment adherence.
Objectives:
To describe the circumstances and injuries associated with nonmotorized scooter-related trauma and to assess parental and child awareness and use of safety equipment.
Methods:
All children <18 years of age presenting to an urban pediatric emergency department during a 15-month period with a nonmotorized scooter-related injury were identified. Data were collected by chart review or a detailed survey conducted by the treating clinician.
Results:
There were 101 children with a total of 159 injuries. The mean age was 8.7 years; 70% were male. Most injuries involved the head/face/neck (30.8%), upper extremities (31.3%), and lower extremities (30.3%). Fifty-two percent (51.5%) of all injuries sustained were contusions, 32.7% fractures, 17.8% lacerations, 9.9% sprains, and 5.9% oral injuries. A total of 6 patients were admitted to the hospital, 1 to the intensive care unit. Data from surveys (n = 63) revealed that most injuries resulted from striking a stationary hazard (36.5%) or spontaneously losing balance (28.6%). Although 71.4% of all parents were aware of scooter safety precautions and 66.7% reported that their child had access to safety equipment, only 15.9% of patients were wearing any equipment. Fractures were more common in children >or=8 years (P = 0.03); head and facial injuries were more common in children <8 years (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Scooter-related injuries result in substantial morbidity. Although injured patients and their parents report awareness of scooter safety equipment, few injured children wear their equipment.
