title: Neighborhood-level built environment and social characteristics associated with serious childhood motor vehicle occupant injuries.
abstract: The effect of residential neighborhood characteristics on a child's risk of serious motor vehicle traffic occupant injuries was evaluated in New York State, USA, for the years 1993-2003, with particular focus on the effect of neighborhood walkability. Risk increased significantly (p < 0.0001) with decreasing street connectivity and as more workers commuted more than 30 min using means other than public transportation, along with more single-parent households and less college attainment in the neighborhood, regardless of whether New York City was in the study. After adjusting for age, gender and socio-economic community factors, the apparent loss of walkability in a child's neighborhood increases their risk of serious injury as an occupant of a motor vehicle.
authors.affiliation: Division of Family Health, New York State Department of Health, 2162 Corning Tower, Albany, NY, USA. glen.johnson@lehman.cuny.edu
authors.forename: Glen D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Xiaoning
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016138:Walking; D014947:Wounds and Injuries