Laporte JD, MH Binet
Médecins de Montagne, FRANCE
PROBLEM
Does helmet use among children contribute to the reduction of cranial traumatism in case of collision?
OBJECTIVES
- Presenting the figures of the "Médecins de Montagne" epidemiological network on collisions and cranial traumatism in under 16s, in all kinds of winter sports.
- Presenting the injury prevention campaign to promote helmets for children on ski slopes “Wear a helmet for skiing” ("Skiez casqué").
- Analysing the impact of the campaign in comparison with the observation of the evolution of cranial trauma cases.
METHODS
The statistics elaborated by the "Médecins de Montagne", the Association of Mountain Doctors working at French ski resorts, allow us to study every year the risk of accidents in winter sports and its variation from one season to the other.
260.000 cases of injuries in winter sports have been collected since the network was created.
Certain trauma-related markers have been defined in order to characterise the injuries typical of every kind of sport.
The risk of accidents in alpine skiing is 2,5 accidents per every 1.000 days of skiing.
The risk among children and beginners is slightly above the average. The anatomic region molt prone to injuries is different among adults and children. The under 16s have a higher percentage of injuries in the cephalic extremity. The head injuries among children are particularly frequent when they play winter sports.
Cranial traumas, facial wounds and collisions are more common in small children than in adults and are potentially very serious. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 50%.
In consequence, since 1994 the Association of Mountain Doctors "Médecins de Montagne" has been carrying out an injury prevention campaign to promote helmets on the slopes by means of a leaflet which explains which risks a helmet helps avoiding, how to choose a helmet and what kind of maintenance it needs.
This campaign was picked up by the consumer safety commission and other associated institutions, and got support from a French Olympic Ski Champion.
RESULTS
Evolution of the collisions on the slopes in relation to age since 1993
A detailed study of the evolution in different age groups has been in course since 1993. It has been stated that for all the age groups the incidence of collisions has decreased. Even though the collision rate among children has also decreased, they represent the major part of the collisions.
The figures of the network also show that the head injury rate has got considerably lower in alpine skiing and snowboarding since 1993. This data shows the good effectiveness of the injury prevention campaigns among children, including the “wear a helmet for skiing” campaigns.
A follow-up study of injury rates, covering the injuries to the cephalic extremity and all the other injuries in children who wear a helmet, in comparison to the children who don’t wear a helmet, was used to measure the effectiveness of wearing a helmet among children.
Trends in helmet usage and population control groups:
The rate of helmet usage is constantly increasing, having gone beyond 50% for the first time in the year 2000. This is the most visible result of different safety campaigns.
The effectiveness of wearing a helmet can be measured not only through the percentage of cranial trauma cases in the people who do or don’t wear a helmet in comparison which a population control group, but also taking into consideration the head and face injuries, and especially if all kinds of different injuries are accounted for.
CONCLUSION
The rate of helmet usage among children in France is already considerable. But much more effort has to be made in this matter. A helmet is an essential protective piece of equipment for children of all ages. Helmet rental must become standard practice everywhere.