Risk of upper limb injury in left handed children: a study in Greece. (1/19)

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether left handed children are at increased risk for injuries, particularly upper limb injuries. SETTING: Athens, Greece, during a six month period in 1995-96. METHODS: Cases were 129 children 4-14 years old with unintentional upper limb injuries from a population based injury database. Two control children matched for gender and age were selected from among those seen at the same medical institution for minor, non-injury ailments. On the basis of information provided by the children and their guardians, sociodemographic variables were recorded, hand preference was assessed, and each child's activity score was calculated through an abbreviated version of Achenbach's scale. RESULTS: Left handed children have a moderately increased upper limb injury risk with a tendency of recurrence of this injury. The risk of upper limb injury is also raised among children of young fathers, whereas it appears to be inversely related to crowding index and activity score--three variables that were controlled for as potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides limited support for the hypothesis that left handed children are at increased risk for injury. The excess risk, if genuine, is likely to be limited to cultural settings in which right handedness is perceived as the norm.  (+info)

The child with repeated injuries--a family problem. (2/19)

Recurrent injuries in children should be regarded as a symptom complex rather than a diagnosis of ;accident proneness'. Investigation, which may include much listening will often reveal a family with emotional problems. The family doctor who can see the family as a whole is often best placed to offer or co-ordinate help.  (+info)

Individual characteristics in occupational accidents due to imbalance: a case-control study of the employees of a railway company. (3/19)

BACKGROUND: Falls are frequent occupational accidents, and are responsible for a significant amount of lost working time and, more importantly, for a high mortality. The factors involved in falling mechanisms can be of external or individual origin, the latter being less well identified. AIMS: To assess the relations between certain individual characteristics and occupational accidents due to imbalance. METHODS: A total of 427 male employees, who had been victims of at least one occupational accident with sick leave due to imbalance (cases) and 427 controls were recruited among the employees of a large French railway company. A standardised questionnaire on life conditions and professional factors, and a description of the accidents was filled in by an occupational physician for each subject. RESULTS: Some job categories were more affected by a specific release mechanism of work related falls. Certain individual characteristics such as smoking, alcohol consumption, inactivity, sleep disorders, and request for a job change were correlated with the occurrence of occupational accidents. Sick leaves of eight days or over were more frequent in older and overweight injured workers. Some lesions were linked with the specific fall released mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Individual characteristics can increase the risk of occupational accidents, especially falling. This study identified subjects most at risk on whom prevention related to working conditions and falls could be focused.  (+info)

Age, flight experience, and risk of crash involvement in a cohort of professional pilots. (4/19)

Federal aviation regulations prohibit airline pilots from flying beyond the age of 60 years. However, the relation between pilot age and flight safety has not been rigorously assessed using empirical data. From 1987 to 1997, the authors followed a cohort of 3,306 commuter air carrier and air taxi pilots who were aged 45-54 years in 1987. During the follow-up period, the pilots accumulated a total of 12.9 million flight hours and 66 aviation crashes, yielding a rate of 5.1 crashes per million pilot flight hours. Crash risk remained fairly stable as the pilots aged from their late forties to their late fifties. Flight experience, as measured by total flight time at baseline, showed a significant protective effect against the risk of crash involvement. With adjustment for age, pilots who had 5,000-9,999 hours of total flight time at baseline had a 57% lower risk of a crash than their less experienced counterparts (relative risk = 0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.21, 0.87). The protective effect of flight experience leveled off after total flight time reached 10,000 hours. The lack of an association between pilot age and crash risk may reflect a strong "healthy worker effect" stemming from the rigorous medical standards and periodic physical examinations required for professional pilots.  (+info)

The fast and the fatal: street racing fatal crashes in the United States. (5/19)

The objective of this study was to determine the annual incidence of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving street racing and to describe the characteristics of these crashes compared to other fatal crashes in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System data for 1998-2001 were used for the analyses. There were 149 568 fatal crashes and 315 (0.21%) involved street racing and 399 fatalities occurred in these crashes. In contrast to other fatal crashes, street racing fatal crashes were more likely to occur on urban roadways and were nearly six times more likely to occur at travel speeds> or = 65 mph. Compared with other drivers involved in fatal crashes, street racers were more likely to be teenagers, male, and have previous crashes and driving violations. Street racing involves risky driving behaviors and warrants further attention.  (+info)

Current helmet and protective equipment usage among previously injured ATV and motorcycle riders. (6/19)

Injury recidivism among trauma patients may be related to an individual pattern of high risk behaviors. The extent to which an injury episode modifies this behavior pattern is unknown. A self report, voluntary, anonymous, cross sectional survey was administered to motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders at a popular recreation site. Data included demographics, injury history, and current usage of helmet and protective gear. Two hundred eighty surveys were completed. History of ATV/motorcycle related minor and major injury were reported by 21% and 9%, respectively. Persons with a history of minor ATV/motorcycle injury only were less likely to use a helmet or protective equipment (78% v 74%, p = 0.58 and 49% v 41%, p = 0.29). Persons with a history of any major ATV/motorcycle injury were also less likely to use a helmet or protective equipment (77% v 56%, p = 0.03 and 48% v 40%, p = 0.53). These findings suggest a pattern of persistent high risk behavior among previously injured persons.  (+info)

Determinants of accident proneness: a case-control study in railway workers. (7/19)

BACKGROUND: Accident proneness or workers who have more frequent occupational injuries is common but the role of occupational and individual factors has rarely been studied. AIM: To assess the relationships of certain occupational and individual characteristics with frequency of occupational injuries. METHOD: This case-control study included 1305 male workers with occupational injuries during 1999-2000 and 1305 controls from a railway company. A standardized questionnaire was completed by the occupational physician in the presence of the subject. The data were analysed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Having more than one injury was associated with short service in the present job, younger age, sleep disorders, smoking, requesting a job change, physical disability and lack of physical activity. Safety training was negatively related to injury frequency. Short service in the present job was the only significant factor for single injuries. CONCLUSION: This study identified a number of work and individual factors that predicted occupational injury frequency and may be useful in designing preventative measures. Occupational physicians could assist workers to be more aware of the risks and to find remedial measures.  (+info)

Falls in a rehabilitation setting: functional independence and fall risk. (8/19)

AIM: With this study we wanted to determine the incidence, characteristics and consequences of falls in our rehabilitation setting. METHODS: An observational study was carried out in a rehabilitation setting for postacute orthopedic and neurological inpatients. Three-hundred and twenty patients were enrolled. Falls risk factors (Downton index [DI] and other known parameters), disability (functional independence measure [FIM]) and balance (Berg balance scale [BBS]) were assessed at admission. Falls that occurred during the rehabilitation stay were prospectively classified (St. Louis Older Adult Service and Information System [OASIS] system) and analyzed. RESULTS: Forty patients experienced a fall (12.5%). The faller group was characterized by a major clinical complexity; 70% of fallers were neurological patients and 30% presented cognitive impairment (mini mental state examination [MMSE] <24). They presented a statistically significant worse score on FIM (motor and cognitive), BBS and DI at admission, with 74% predictability of falls as measured by total FIM score and age. Falls recorded with the OASIS classification showed a prevalence (52.5%) for not bipedal (wheelchair transfer) and self-generated falls; 35% were intrinsic falls (caused by subject-specific factors) and 12.5% extrinsic falls (caused by environmental factors). Falls resulted in only minor clinical consequences, except for one rib fracture, but led to a significant increase in length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: In a rehabilitation centre, for good management of resources and safe prescriptions of a patient's independence in activities of daily living, fall risk is better evaluated with appropriate scales.  (+info)

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