Understanding the epidemiology of motor vehicle crash injuries among children and adolescents aged 4--18 residing in the central Mississippi area using linked data

Background and rationale. Mississippi leads the nation in rates of motor vehicle related deaths to children and adolescents, and has the lowest rate of seatbelt usage. However, little is known about the characteristics of people who are seriously injured in Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVCs) in Mississippi. The main objective of this study is to describe MVC-related injuries and deaths based on linked data systems, focusing on risk factors and the impact on children and youth ages 4-18 years old residing in central Mississippi.;Methods. Data were abstracted from the Mississippi Department of Transportation Uniform Accident Report and from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Trauma Registry for the years 2000 to 2003, inclusive, and were linked using deterministic methods to create a comprehensive data set. Data from both sources were linked by matching date of crash, age, date of emergency department visit, date of inpatient admission(s), date of death, gender, age, ethnicity, and town of crash. Matched variables extracted from both sources constituted the cases.;Results. A total of 237 cases (111 females and 126 males) met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the crash victims was 13.88 +/- 4.13 years. Ninety-three of the 237 cases (39.2%) did not use any protective device compared to 137 (57.7%) who did. Seatbelt use was inversely associated with injury severity in the study group, i.e., the more people used seatbelts the less severe was the injury suffered. Nine cases were pedestrians, five (55%) of whom were injured while crossing a street at a non-intersection. Lighting conditions were significantly but inversely related to injury severity and death, i.e., injury severity increases with diminished light conditions on roadways.;Significance. MVC-related injuries can be prevented, or reduced, but only if there is an understanding of the types, severity and cost in relation to the characteristics of the crash, vehicles, and persons involved. Crash data alone do not capture the medical and financial consequences. Mississippi needs a comprehensive linked database system. By linking crash data to medical and financial outcomes, potential preventive factors can be identified.