Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026
A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)
Published on: February 7, 2025
National hospitalization impact of pediatric all-terrain vehicle injuries
Jeffrey B Killingsworth1, John M Tilford, James G Parker
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine and Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202-3591, USA.
Insights
Childhood all-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries requiring hospitalization significantly increased by 79.1% between 1997 and 2000. This highlights a growing public health concern demanding new prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Public Health Surveillance
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- All-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries in children are a growing concern.
- Limited national data exists on pediatric ATV-related hospitalizations.
- This study addresses the national impact of ATV injuries on children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize injury patterns in hospitalized children due to ATVs.
- To analyze hospital length of stay and charges for pediatric ATV injuries.
- To provide a national perspective on the scope of childhood ATV injuries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) for 1997 and 2000.
- Weighted KID data to represent national hospital discharges for children.
- Identified and analyzed ATV-related injuries using external cause-of-injury codes.
Main Results:
- Estimated 5292 hospitalizations for pediatric ATV injuries over 2 years.
- Hospitalizations increased by 79.1% from 1997 to 2000.
- Highest rates were among adolescent white males; 1% of cases resulted in death.
Conclusions:
- Evidence shows a substantial rise in childhood ATV injuries.
- The hospitalization burden of pediatric ATV injuries is significant.
- Urgent need for effective strategies to reduce childhood ATV injuries.
Objective:
All-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries among children represent a significant and growing problem. Although state-level analyses have characterized some aspects of pediatric ATV-related injuries, little information on the national impact on hospitalization is available. This study was designed to characterize more fully the patterns of injury, hospital length of stay, and hospital charges associated with ATV-related injuries, with a nationally representative sample.
Methods:
Analyses were based on the 1997 and 2000 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). The KID is the only national, all-payer database of hospital discharges for children. KID data were weighted to represent all discharges from general hospitals in the United States. Discharges with external cause-of-injury codes consistent with off-road ATV-related injuries were selected, and the affected population was described. Nationally representative rates of ATV-related injuries were calculated, and changes between 1997 and 2000 were documented.
Results:
An estimated 5292 children were hospitalized because of ATV-related injuries during the 2-year period, and hospitalizations increased 79.1% between 1997 and 2000. Rates of ATV-related hospitalization were highest among adolescent white male subjects, consistent with previous studies. Most patients had hospital lengths of stay of <4 days (68%), but 10% had stays of >8 days. Injury severity varied considerably, with more than one third of patients sustaining moderate to severe injuries. Approximately 1% of hospitalizations resulted in in-hospital deaths. Total hospital charges for this injury mechanism were 74367677 dollars for the 2-year study period. Most of these charges were paid by private insurers.
Conclusions:
This study provides evidence supporting recent substantial increases in childhood ATV-related injuries. The hospitalization impact of ATV-related injuries among children is considerable. Our data support the need for ongoing creative attempts to identify effective strategies to decrease ATV injuries among children.
More Related Videos
09:49Assessing Changes in Synaptic Plasticity Using an Awake Closed-Head Injury Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 20, 2023
07:02An Investigation of the Effects of Sports-related Concussion in Youth Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Head Impact Telemetry System
Published on: January 12, 2011
