The Incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children in the United States

TLDR

Few studies have reported the incidence of traumatic brain injury among children by race. The study aims to summarize the epidemiology of TBI deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits by race among children aged 0–14 and to highlight the need to examine factors contributing to racial disparities. The authors used data from three nationally representative National Center for Health Statistics sources to estimate annual TBI deaths, hospitalizations, and ED visits among children 0–14 by race, age, and injury cause from 1995 to 2001. An estimated 475,000 children aged 0–14 sustained TBI each year, with the highest rates in ages 0–4 and significantly higher death and hospitalization rates for black children compared to white children for motor‑vehicle‑related TBIs, underscoring TBI as a serious public health problem.

Abstract

Objective This report summarizes the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits by race among children aged 0–14 years in the United States. Few other studies have reported the incidence of TBI in this population by race. Methods Data from 3 nationally representative sources maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics were used to report the annual numbers and rates of TBI-related deaths, hospitalizations, and ED visits during 1995–2001 by race, age, and external cause of injury. Results An estimated 475,000 TBIs occurred among children aged 0–14 each year. Rates were highest among children aged 0–4. For children aged 0–9 years, both death and hospitalization rates were significantly higher for blacks than whites for motor vehicle-traffic-related TBIs. Conclusion With nearly half a million children affected each year, TBI is a serious public health problem. Variation in rates by race suggest the need to more closely examine the factors that contribute to these differences, such as the external causes of the injury and associated modifiable factors (e.g., the use of seatbelts and child safety seats).