NATIONAL SAFE KIDS WEEK IS MAY 4 - 11

This year's theme is "Use Your Head. WEAR A HELMET!" It focuses on preventing traumatic brain injury with a special emphasis on using helmets when bicycling. Johnson and Johnson is the founding sponsor for the national campaign. At the national news conference to be held on May 2 the National SAFE KIDS Campaign will be releasing the most comprehensive study to date of bike-related traumatic brain injury. Their research development involves the following partners: Brain Injury Association, Think First, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Traumatic Brain Injury Technical Assistance Center at the Children's National Medical Center.

Bicycles are associated with more childhood injuries than any other consumer product except the automobile. More than 70% of children ages 5 to 14 (27.7 million) ride bicycles. This age group rides 50% more than the average bicyclist and accounts for approximately 21% of all bicycle-related deaths and 54% of all bicycle-related injuries. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes and is the most important determinant of bicycle-related death and permanent disability.

Head injuries account for more than 60% of bicycle-related deaths, more than two-thirds of bicycle-related hospital admissions and about one-third of hospital emergency room visits for bicycling injuries. The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet. Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%. Bicycle helmets have also been shown to offer substantial protection to the forehead and mid-face. Unfortunately, national estimates report that bicycle helmet use among child bicyclists ranges only from 15 to 25%. Helmet use is lowest (for all ages) among children ages 11 to 14 (11%).

Statistics for Missouri over the five-year period from 1995 through 1999 show there were 167 head and spinal cord injuries to children less than age 15 as a result of bicycle related crashes. Only ten of these children were wearing a helmet. These incidents resulted in 15 deaths. From 1994 through 2000 there was a total of 47,144 bicycle related crashes in Missouri involving children less than age 15 which were serious enough to cause either hospital admission or emergency room treatment. The 1999 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System revealed that 32.5% of children under the age of 16 in Missouri never wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. An encouraging statistic from the survey was that 23.1% of Missouri households had children under age 16 who always wore a helmet when riding a bicycle.

There are seven SAFE KIDS Coalitions in Missouri, which are recognized by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, that work on improving children's safety and this includes bicycle safety. The coalitions are: Jasper/Newton County SAFE KIDS, Joplin (contact person Jerry Sargent at 417-625-6639); Columbia SAFE KIDS Coalition (contact Steve Salp at 573-874-7557); Jefferson City SAFE KIDS (contact Doris Park at 573-392-3767); SAFE KIDS St. Louis (contact Carla Sauerwein at 314-268-4108); Cape Girardeau SAFE KIDS (contact Heidi Crowden at 573-651-5815 or Stephanie Clark at 573-331-5880); Springfield Area SAFE KIDS (contact Jane Collins at 417-869-2121); and St. Peters Area SAFE KIDS (contact Doug Raines at 636-970-9704). Local Health Agencies in the geographic area of one of these coalitions are urged to work with the coalition to focus the community's attention on preventing head injuries due to wheel-based accidents, including this year's theme of preventing head injuries due to bicycle-related accidents. If not in close proximity to one of these coalitions, LPHAs might consider partnering with community service organizations to assure the message concerning bicycle safety is delivered in your area.