659 The role of body mass index on childhood pedestrian injury risk

Elizabeth E O’Neal; Plumert M Jodie; Leslie A McClure; David C Schwebel

doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2016-042156.659

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659 The role of body mass index on childhood pedestrian injury risk

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

659 The role of body mass index on childhood pedestrian injury risk

Elizabeth E O’Neal, Plumert M Jodie, Leslie A McClure and David C Schwebel

Injury prevention, v 22(Suppl 2), pp A236-A237

Sep 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2016-042156.659

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Abstract

BackgroundRoad traffic deaths rank as the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide in children aged 5 to 9 years old. Child pedestrians are particularly vulnerable. Many risk factors have been identified as contributing to childhood pedestrian injury risk, but the role of obesity is less well understood. Obesity affects children’s physical and cognitive abilities, both of which could substantially influence a child’s ability to choose a safe route and to cross roads safely.MethodsTwo hundred and forty 7- and 8-year-old children completed a series of road crossings in a semi-immersive virtual environment by watching traffic and stepping off of a curb onto a trigger plate when they felt it was safe to cross. Road crossing performance was assessed via measures of attention, wait time, movement timing, and crashes. Route selection was assessed by asking children to choose the safest route to a destination using vignettes and a tabletop model. BMI was calculated using BMI-for-age growth charts for boys and girls.ResultsChildren with higher BMI were riskier than peers with lower BMI on measures of waiting before crossing, time to spare relative to oncoming vehicles, and crashes with virtual traffic. BMI was not related to route selection.ConclusionsChildhood obesity is an important risk factor for pedestrian injury. In particular, children with high BMI had difficulty perceiving and acting on gaps in traffic.

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Title: 659 The role of body mass index on childhood pedestrian injury risk
Creators: Elizabeth E O’Neal - University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
Plumert M Jodie - University of Iowa
Leslie A McClure - Drexel University
David C Schwebel - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Publication Details: Injury prevention, v 22(Suppl 2), pp A236-A237
Publisher: British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Resource Type: Journal article
Language: English
Academic Unit: Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Web of Science ID: WOS:000405066801345
Other Identifier: 991019169690304721

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health