Crash Injuries of Children in Restraints Not Tied to Weight

No correlation between weight and clinically significant injuries across broad age, weight range

TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of clinically significant crash-related injuries in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) is not correlated with weight among children using forward-facing child restraints (FFCRs) or belt-positioning booster seats (BPBs), according to a study published online Nov. 28 in Pediatrics.

Mark R. Zonfrillo, M.D., M.S.C.E., from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the correlation between weight and the risk of injury in MVCs among children aged 1 through 8 years, who were using child restraints. Data were collected from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System for 650 children, aged 1 to 5 years and weighing 20 to 65 pounds, in FFCRs, and 344 children, aged 3 to 8 years and weighing 30 to 100 pounds, in BPBs.

The investigators found that there was no correlation between absolute weight and clinically significant injuries in either age group, after adjusting for seating position, type of vehicle, direction of impact, crash severity, and vehicle model year. The odds ratio for children aged 1 to 5 years was 1.17 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.96 to 1.42), and for children aged 3 to 8 years of age, was 1.22 (95 percent CI, 0.96 to 1.55).

"The risk of clinically significant injuries was not associated with weight across a broad weight range in this sample of children in MVCs who were using child restraint systems. Parents should continue to restrain their children according to current recommendations," the authors write.

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