title: Are there racial disparities in the use of restraints and outcomes after motor vehicle collisions in Los Angeles County?
abstract: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) continue to be a leading cause of traumatic death, yet there is a paucity of data regarding racial/ethnic differences in injury severity, use of restraints, and outcomes. This study determines whether racial/ethnic disparities exist in adult MVC victims.  A retrospective review of patients (age older than 18 years) involved in MVC in Los Angeles County from 2004 to 2009 was performed. Main outcome measures were hospital length of stay, mortality, and complication rate. Independent variables evaluated included race/ethnicity, use of restraints,  age, gender, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Glasgow Coma Scale. During the 5-year study period, 22,444 patients were involved in an MVC in Los Angeles County. Overall restraint use was 69 per cent, lowest in blacks (67%) and Hispanics (68%). Mortality and morbidity rates were both 3 per  cent for all racial/ethnic groups. On multivariable analysis, higher ISS, older age, male gender, not wearing a seatbelt, and being Asian increased the risk of death. In conclusion, our study demonstrated racial/ethnic differences in MVC victims, particularly identifying that Hispanics and  blacks were less likely to be restrained and thus could be the target of future injury prevention programs.
authors: Departments of Surgery and Emergency Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California 90509, USA.
authors: Arezou
authors: A
authors: Yaghoubian
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: De Virgilio
authors: Amy H
authors: AH
authors: Kaji
authors: Brant
authors: B
authors: Putnam
authors: Angela L
authors: AL
authors: Neville
authors: Scott
authors: S
authors: Bricker
authors: Steven L
authors: SL
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control