title: All-terrain vehicle injuries in Texas, mapping the path to intervention with a geographic information system.
abstract: The state of Texas was ranked 10th for all-terrain vehicle-related deaths among all states from 2007-2009. Health Service Region 4/5N of eastern Texas has a statistically significant higher rate of all-terrain vehicle-related injuries in children under the age of 18 than Texas as a whole (p < 0.001.) It is unknown why east Texas has a higher all-terrain vehicle-related injury rate. A retrospective analysis of the registry of the Texas Trauma Service Area G, which serves the east Texas area, from the years 2004-2010 was performed. Variations within the region were assessed using a geographic information system and the analysis demonstrated that the highest rates of all-terrain vehicle-related injuries in east Texas are found in two neighboring rural eastern counties. Recording mechanism of injury was an important adjunct to identifying all-terrain vehicle-related injuries. Using E-codes alone underestimated the actual injuries. Other findings demonstrated that children under age 16 had a high rate of injury, one third of those injured sustained a head injury, and helmet use was very low. This analysis can be used by the Texas Department of State Health Services in conjunction with key regional partners to direct further investigation in these areas into the role of the rural environment, other factors associated with the high injury rates, and to plan and conduct preventive intervention at the community level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, 11937 U.S. Highway 271, Tyler, TX 75708-3154, USA. Sharon.huff@uthct.edu
authors.forename: Sharon D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Huff
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: McGaha
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Marshall
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kratz
authors.forename: Jo Ann
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Atkinson
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D015541:Off-Road Motor Vehicles; D013781:Texas; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult