November 4, 2002
SickKids study shows bicycle helmet legislation leads to fewer bicycle-related head injuries in children
TORONTO - Research at The Hospital for Sick Children (SICKKIDS) and the University of Toronto (U of T) has shown that provinces which have adopted mandatory bicycle helmet legislation have had a significant reduction in the number of bicycle-related head injuries in children. This research is reported in the November issue of the scientific journal Pediatrics.
The study looked at data on the 9,650 Canadian children (five to 19 years of age) hospitalized for bicycle-related injuries from 1994 to 1998. The results indicate that the bicycle-related head injury rate declined significantly (45 per cent reduction) in provinces where legislation had been adopted compared to provinces and territories that did not adopt legislation (27 per cent reduction).
"It was already known that bicycle helmet legislation is a successful strategy for the adoption of helmets, but the effect on the rates of head injuries was unknown. This research shows that helmet legislation is an effective tool in the prevention of childhood bicycle-related head injuries," said Alison Macpherson, the study's lead author, a U of T graduate student and a research fellow in SICKKIDS's Department of Paediatric Medicine.
"Head injuries have devastating results and sometimes even minor head injuries have long-term consequences. As parents and as a community we want to do everything we can to protect our children. Provinces that haven't adopted legislation need to revisit this issue," added Macpherson, a recipient of an Emergency Health Services Fellowship from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
In Canada, five provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) have adopted bicycle helmet legislation.
"Safe Kids Canada supports bicycle helmet legislation as a proven strategy, in conjunction with sustained education and enforcement programs, to prevent head injuries and deaths. We also support the need to provide safe environments for cyclists, such as the development of bike paths and designated lanes, along with traffic calming measures, as an important means of protecting cyclists from motor vehicle traffic," said Rita Mezei, Public Policy and Advocacy specialist at Safe Kids Canada.
Collaborators on this research include: Dr. Patricia Parkin, head, Division of Paediatric Medicine and associate scientist, SICKKIDS; Dr. James Wright, head and senior scientist, Population Health Sciences, orthopaedic surgeon, and holder of the Robert B. Salter Chair in Paediatric Surgical Research at SICKKIDS, and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investigator; Dr. Colin Macarthur, director of the Paediatric Outcomes Research Team and senior scientist, SICKKIDS; and Dr. Teresa To, senior scientist, SICKKIDS and an Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investigator; and Mary Chipman, from the Department of Public Health Sciences at U of T.
The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. Its mission is to provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in child health. For more information, please visit http://www.sickkids.ca/default.asp.
Safe Kids Canada is the national injury prevention program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. The mission of Safe Kids Canada is to prevent injuries by educating the public about injury prevention and by working to create safer environments. Injuries are the leading cause of death and disabilities among children in Canada. For more information, please visit www.safekidscanada.ca.
A high-resolution photo of a child properly wearing a bicycle helmet is available on the SICKKIDS Web site at www.sickkids.ca/mediaroom/custom/bikehelmet_photos.asp. A fact sheet on bicycle-related injuries and a chart outlining the status of bicycle helmet legislation across the country is also available at www.sickkids.ca/mediaroom/custom/injuryfactsheet.pdf and www.sickkids.ca/mediaroom/custom/bicyclelegislation_chartbyprovince.pdf.
For more information, please contact:
Rita Mezei, Public Policy and Advocacy specialist
Safe Kids Canada
(416) 813-6144
rita.mezei@sickkids.ca
or
Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue
Suite 1742, Public Affairs, First floor Atrium
Toronto,
ON
M5G 1X8
Canada
Tel: 416-813-5058
Fax: 416-813-5328