By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
THURSDAY, May 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) – A new study found that two-thirds of spinal fractures in American children and adolescents occur in car accidents when they are not wearing a seat belt.
The researchers analyzed data on more than 34,500 US patients under the age of 18 who suffered spinal fractures between 2009 and 2014. Adolescents aged 15 to 17 accounted for about 63% of spinal fractures, two-thirds of which occurred in motor vehicle accidents.
These results show that young drivers and passengers are at the highest risk of spinal fractures in car accidents by the time they get their driver’s license, according to the authors of the study, which was recently published online in the journal Spine.
The researchers also found a strong association between not buckling up in the car and the increased risk of spinal fractures.
“Almost two-thirds of pediatric spine fractures occurred in [motor vehicle accidents] occurred in children who did not use belts, “wrote Dr. Vishal Sarwahi of Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY and colleagues in a press release in a magazine.
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Spinal fractures in children and adolescents have been associated with a 3% mortality rate, with many deaths occurring in uninhibited drivers and passengers, the researchers found.
Another finding from the study was that the risk of serious or multiple injuries and deaths was more than twice as high (almost 71%) when children and adolescents did not wear seat belts than when they did (29%).
Wearing seat belts was associated with a lower rate of multiple vertebral body fractures, other types of fractures in addition to spinal fractures, head and brain injuries, and a more than 20% lower risk of death in car accidents.
The researchers also found that 58% of young patients with spinal fractures were male, and that spinal fractures were the most common in the South (38%), likely because a lack of public transportation means more vehicles are on the move.
The percentage of US drivers wearing seat belts has steadily increased over the years, but teenagers and young adults still use them less often, according to the study’s authors.
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The results highlight the need to take action to increase the use of seat belts by younger drivers and passengers, such as: B. Targeted approaches using technology and media awareness campaigns, the researchers suggested.
“Ensuring that our new, young drivers are wearing protective devices can significantly reduce the associated morbidity / mortality [motor vehicle accidents] and can help save lives and stings, “concluded the research team.
More information
The American Academy of Pediatrics is more concerned with seat belts for older children and teenagers.
SOURCE: Spine, press release, May 14, 2021
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