Child brain injury as a result of activities involving consumer products has risen significantly since 2000, a new study has revealed.
Accidents among school-aged children participating in sports and playground activities that involve equipment – such as football, basketball and cycling – have surged in the past two decades.
“Since childhood inactivity is also a serious concern, we are faced with a difficult balancing act: How do we develop awareness on how to avoid high risk activities without discouraging children from taking part in healthy and fun exercise?,” says lead investigator Dr Tuan D. Le, of The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center.
A major public health concern, traumatic brain injury is the main cause of death and disability in children aged up to four, and between 15 and 19 in the United States, with 308,000 annual cases of brain injury on average.
New research investigates consumer product-related traumatic brain injuries (CP-TBI) among school-aged children for a 20-year period by differentiating age groups, levels of education, and gender and evaluating trends with the time-point regression method.
This serial cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) for initial emergency department (ED) visits for CP/TBI from January 2000 to December 2019 for 6.2 million children aged between five and 18.
The study documents a significant increase in CP-TBI incidents since 2000, accounting for more than 12 per cent of all US hospital Emergency Department visits by school-aged children in 2019, up from 4.5 per cent in 2000.
The rate of increase stabilised overall, after peaking in 2012, to a 3.6 per cent annual level over the entire study period, which researchers say may be attributable in part to widespread media attention and public health policies that have resulted in greater risk awareness related to contact sports, increased incident reporting, as well as more effective prevention and treatment.
CP-TBI incidence was higher among boys than girls. However, and significantly, annual percentage increases since 2013 were most elevated in girls, especially those of high-school age.
“While it appears that efforts to decrease TBI in children’s sports have been effective, our findings suggest that more focused efforts are needed among girls,” said Dr Le, also Research Directorate, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, JBSA- Fort Sam Houston.
“Parents, athletic and activity staff and coaches, educators, care providers and support members, and children themselves all need more awareness and training on screening and when to seek care for minor and more severe TBI in children.
“Improved point-of-care screening needs to be developed and promoted to identify and treat injuries that are not always immediately apparent.”
