Case-Control Study of the Effectiveness of Different Types of Helmets for the Prevention of Head Injuries among Motorcycle Riders in Taipei, Taiwan
Resource
American Journal of Epidemiology 142 (9): 974-981
Journal
American Journal of Epidemiology
Pages
974-981
Date Issued
1995
Date
1995
Author(s)
Tsai, Yih-Jian
Wang, Jung-Der
Huang, Wen-Fen
Abstract
A total of 1,351 victims of motorcycle accidents, brought to one of 15 hospitals responsible for emergency care in Taipei, Taiwan, between August 1 and October 15, 1990, were enrolled in a case-control study to investigate the effectiveness of different types of helmets for the prevention of head injuries. A total of 562 of those with head injuries were assigned to the case group, while the remaining 789 victims without head injuries were considered as emergency room controls. The case group was subdivided into daytime and evening cases, according to the time of accident. For each daytime case, we took four pictures of passing motorcycles at the same time and place during the week after each accident. Of the 254 daytime cases, we successfully took pictures for 224 (88%) and identified 1,094 motorcycle riders in the pictures as street controls. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the roles of the following variables in predicting risk of head injury: age, sex, riding position, weather, place of accident, helmet type, and motorcycle type, and status of helmet wearing. The relative risk of head injury among motorcycle riders was significantly reduced by wearing a full-face helmet, but not by wearing a full- or a partial-coverage helmet. ? 1995 Copyright 1995 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Subjects
Head injuries; Helmets; Motorcycles
SDGs
Other Subjects
accident prevention; adult; aged; article; brain concussion; case control study; controlled study; disease severity; epidemiology; female; head injury; helmet; human; major clinical study; male; motorcycle; prevention; risk assessment; skull fracture; taiwan; traffic accident; Accidents, Traffic; Adult; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Craniocerebral Trauma; Equipment Design; Head Protective Devices; Human; Middle Age; Motorcycles; Severity of Illness Index; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Taiwan
Type
journal article