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Camel racing injuries among children
Abdulbari Bener1, Fatima H Al-Mulla, Suhail M Q Al-Humoud
1Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, University of Qatar, Doha, Qatar. abener@hmc.org.qa
Insights
Camel racing causes frequent and severe injuries in children aged 5-15. This study highlights the critical need for legislation to protect child jockeys from serious harm.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Sports Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Camel racing is a popular sport in Qatar, often involving child jockeys.
- Child jockeys are vulnerable to significant injuries due to the nature of the sport.
- Data on the frequency and severity of these injuries is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence and severity of injuries sustained by child camel racers.
- To analyze injury patterns and outcomes in children aged 5 to 15 years.
- To provide evidence for policy development aimed at child protection in sports.
Main Methods:
- A case series design was employed.
- Data collected from 275 child camel racing injury cases (ages 5-15) at Hamad General Hospital, Qatar (1992-2003).
- Injury severity was assessed using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).
Main Results:
- 275 camel racing injuries were reported, predominantly among boys (91.3%), with a high proportion of Sudanese nationality (91.3%).
- Most common injury sites included the upper limb (23.2%), lower limb (21.1%), and head (20.7%).
- Injuries resulted in 17 permanent disabilities and 3 fatalities, with severity ranging from minor (34%) to maximum (6.4%).
Conclusions:
- Camel racing injuries significantly impact hospital stay duration.
- The severity of injuries underscores the risks associated with child jockeys.
- Proposed legislation aims to ban children under 12 as camel jockeys to mitigate these risks.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to determine the frequency and severity of camel racing injuries among children aged 5 to 15 years during the period 1992 to 2003 in the State of Qatar.
Design:
Case series.
Setting:
The study was conducted in the Hamad General Hospital, State of Qatar, from January 1992 to December 2003.
Patients And Methods:
A total of 275 subjects aged 5 to 15 years with camel racing injuries who were seen at the Accident Emergency Department, Critical Care, and Physiotherapy Departments of the Hamad General Hospital were studied. The sociodemographic information and the details of the injury of the studied subjects were collected. The Abbreviated Injury Scale system was used to determine the severity of injury.
Results:
Overall, 275 camel racing injuries were reported among boys aged 5 to 15 years. The majority of patients were Sudanese (91.3%). The most commonly injured locations were upper limb (23.2%), lower limb (21.1%), and head (20.7%), followed by other injury locations. Seventeen patients were disabled as a result of their injury, and another 3 injuries were fatal. This study revealed that 34% of injuries were considered to be minor, 22.1% moderate, 18.1% serious, 11.6% critical, and 6.4% maximum.
Conclusions:
The injury severity caused by the camel racing significantly affected the length of hospital stay. At present, the government is serious about this problem, and there is a draft of proposed legislation intended to prevent the employment of children below the age of 12 as camel jockeys.
