Effectiveness of bicycle helmet laws in preventing injuries among youth

自行车头盔法在预防青少年受伤方面的有效性

基本信息

批准号：
7849745
负责人：
PINKA CHATTERJI
金额：
$ 7.65万
依托单位：
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2009
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2009-05-22 至 2012-04-30
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although state and local mandatory helmet laws have become widespread in the US, there is almost no information on whether such regulations actually decrease injuries from bicycle-related accidents. The first aim is to use pooled, annual, hospital-level data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to assess whether mandatory helmet laws implemented in states and localities in the United States between 1991 and 2007 were effective in reducing injuries among youth. We focus on bicycle-related traumatic head injuries among youth aged 5 to 18 that require emergency room treatment. Since helmet laws vary widely in the age groups targeted (e.g. under 12, under 18), we also plan to assess the relative effectiveness of helmet laws that pertain to different age groups. The second aim is to use data from the NEISS to assess whether helmet laws have had spillover effects on age groups and on other recreational activities not specifically targeted by the laws. Although the majority of bicycle helmet laws pertain to young children, the laws may encourage older children and adults to wear helmets, and thus may reduce head injuries in those groups as well. In addition, children who are required to wear helmets while bicycling may be more likely to wear helmets while participating in similar sports (e.g., ATV riding), potentially reducing head injuries associated with those sports as well. To address both these aims, we use regression analyses to link hospital-level injury rates to state and local level helmet laws, controlling for a range of other factors that affect injury rates. In sensitivity analyses, we will investigate whether helmet laws are associated with increases in helmet usage among youth, and whether there are effects of laws on risky cycling behaviors and ridership. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This study would be the first to consider the effects of bicycle helmet laws on bicycle-related injuries that are reported by hospital emergency departments. The results from this study will provide policymakers with new, important information not only about the effectiveness of existing helmet laws, but also about how these laws can be designed to maximize their preventive benefits.

描述（由申请人提供）：尽管州和地方强制性头盔法在美国已广泛普及，但几乎没有关于这些法规是否真正减少自行车相关事故造成的伤害的信息。第一个目标是使用国家电子伤害监测系统 (NEISS) 的年度医院级汇总数据来评估 1991 年至 2007 年间美国各州和地方实施的强制性头盔法是否能有效减少青少年伤害。我们重点关注 5 至 18 岁青少年因自行车造成的头部外伤，需要急诊室治疗。由于头盔法在目标年龄组（例如 12 岁以下、18 岁以下）方面差异很大，因此我们还计划评估适合不同年龄组的头盔法的相对有效性。第二个目标是利用 NEISS 的数据来评估头盔法是否对年龄组和法律未专门针对的其他娱乐活动产生溢出效应。尽管大多数自行车头盔法律适用于幼儿，但这些法律可能鼓励年龄较大的儿童和成人佩戴头盔，因此也可能减少这些群体的头部受伤。此外，骑自行车时需要戴头盔的儿童在参加类似运动（例如，全地形车骑行）时可能更有可能戴头盔，这也可能减少与这些运动相关的头部伤害。为了实现这两个目标，我们使用回归分析将医院级别的伤害率与州和地方级别的头盔法律联系起来，并控制影响伤害率的一系列其他因素。在敏感性分析中，我们将调查头盔法是否与青少年头盔使用率的增加有关，以及法律是否对危险的骑行行为和骑行人数有影响。公共健康相关性：这项研究将是第一个考虑自行车头盔法对医院急诊部门报告的自行车相关伤害的影响的研究。这项研究的结果将为政策制定者提供新的重要信息，不仅涉及现有头盔法律的有效性，还涉及如何设计这些法律以最大限度地提高其预防效益。