Hospitalized head injuries in agricultural settings: who are the vulnerable groups?
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to identify subgroups of the farm population that are particularly vulnerable to head injury.


METHODS
A retrospective case series of hospitalized head injuries was assembled from a national registry of agricultural injuries. Vulnerable subgroups were identified based on a priori criteria and the causes and consequences of their injuries were profiled.


RESULTS
Three distinct subgroups of farm people were identified as being vulnerable: (1) farm children under the age of 10, injured most frequently by a fall from a structural height (42.5%); (2) females 10-19 years, injured most frequently by large animals (68.8%), mainly horses, and (3) men over age 60 years, who were injured by a diversity of mechanized and animal-related external causes.


CONCLUSIONS
This identification of vulnerable groups provides foundational information from which to develop and direct prevention efforts.
Pickett
William
W
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Dostaler
Suzanne
S
Berg
Richard L
RL
Brison
Robert J
RJ
Linneman
James G
JG
Marlenga
Barbara
B
D000061:Accidents, Home; D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000209:etiology*; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult