Comparison of preventive effect of seat belt on traumatic brain injury by age in motor vehicle collision

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea
²Department of Traffic Safety Research, Korea Transportation Safety Authority, Gimcheon, Korea
³Department of Smart Mechanical Automotive Engineering, Changwon Moonsung University, Changwon, Korea

Correspondence

Sang-Chul Kim ,Tel: 043-269-7853, Fax: 043-269-7810, Email: ooiarahan@nate.com,

Received: February 7, 2020; Revised: April 30, 2020 Accepted: June 16, 2020. Published online: October 30, 2020.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study examined whether the preventive effects of the safety belt on traumatic brain injury (TBI) from motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) differ according to the occupants’ age.
Method:
This study was a retrospective, observational study. This study evaluated the crash data from 2011 to 2016 obtained from the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance registry. The injured occupants were categorized by age into young adults (age, 18-35 years; n=35,032), middle-aged adults (age, 36-55 years; n=34,507), and older adults (aged older than 55 years, n=21,895). The primary (TBI), secondary (intensive care unit [ICU] admission), and tertiary endpoint (mortality) were set. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, and the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of subgroups were calculated for study outcomes adjusted for any potential confounders.
Results:
Among 91,434 patients, 61,205 used seat belts at the time of the crashes. Compared to the unbelted group, the belted group was less likely to have a TBI. A comparison of the aOR of subgroups for TBI revealed the odds ratio reduction to be the highest in young adults (aOR, 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.47), followed by middle-aged adults (aOR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.33-0.47) and older adults (aOR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.42-0.56). In addition, seat belt use had a preventive effect on ICU admission and mortality at all subgroups, the effect of which decreased with age.
Conclusion:
The protective effects of seat belts on TBI, ICU admission, and mortality from MVCs were reduced with age.

Key words: Traffic collisions; Aged; Traumatic brain injuries; Seat belts