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Children cycling
THE CHILD IN THE COMMUNITY: NURSING MAKES A DIFFERENCE Column Editor: Rita Black Monsen, DSN, MPH, RN
Children Cycling Rita Black Monsen, DSN, MPH, RN
T
IS THE SEASON to be jolly, and pleased we are to share our good fortune and abundance with children everywhere. Let us also take a moment to think about promoting health with our gifts and celebrations across the holiday season. I am thinking of gifts such as helmets and other protective devices that children need at home and in their communities year-round. The American Public Health Association (APHA) (1997) noted that universal helmet use by children and youth on bicycles could prevent 1 death daily and 1 head injury every 4 minutes in the United States. Moreover, citing a survey conducted by the National Safe Kids Campaign, the APHA (2001) called attention to the fact that one third of parents said that they would let youngsters under age 8 years ride bikes unsupervised by an adult. I am guessing that these parents are like many of us, reasonably careful and vigilant about their children, but not sufficiently so to adequately protect them from injury and possible death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)(1999a) notes that bicycle-related injuries outnumber those from any other sport among children aged 5 to 14 years and bring more than 500,000 persons to US emergency rooms with 900 deaths annually. With helmet use, we see an 85% reduction in head injuries. Helmet advocates recommend properly fitting helmets with no “wiggle room” both forward and backward and side to side. Helmets that meet the CPSC 1999 safety standards should sit square on the head with the chin strap attached (not tilted too far down on the forehead or back on the head). The CPSC (1999b) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2002) recommend that children under 12 months not be carried on bikes, neither in rearmounted seats nor in backpack-type carriers. Youngsters between ages 1 and 4 years who are strong enough to sit alone and whose neck strength is sufficient to support a helmet can safely be carried in a small bike trailer or in a rear-mounted seat.
Journal of Pediatric Nursing, Vol 17, No 6 (December), 2002
We have seen the positive effects of helmet use over at least 20 years since they have become widely available (Rivara, Thompson, & Thompson, 2000). We know that it takes legislation to mandate helmet use by children and adults most of the time. Ni and co-workers (1997) found that helmet use more than doubled after implementation of an Oregon law requiring helmets in youth under age 16 years. The CPSC (1999a) noted that 15 states and 60 localities had laws requiring helmets by 1998, impressive progress from a previous survey in 1991 when only a handful of jurisdictions had such regulations. Injuries and disabilities due to bicycle accidents are preventable, and I believe that every state should enact a law requiring protective devices at least for children and adolescents. Perhaps by starting with the young, we can see continued prevention as children grow into adulthood and become parents themselves. The holiday season can be a time of joy and generosity, and we always give thanks for the blessings that come our way now. An old family story tells of a tradition that included giving to the poor at this time rather than giving expensive gifts to the children. This was a good idea, and one that would warm the hearts of many, both on the giving and on the receiving ends of the spectrum. Let us also think of giving gifts of safety and health, not just to our own families, but to children and families across our communities and our nation. The spirit of the season inspires us to this kind of benevolence, now and throughout the year. Dr. Monsen is an independently operating nursing education consultant. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Rita Black Monsen, DSN, MPH, RN, 119 Ledgerwood Circle, Hot Springs, AR 71913. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. 0882-5963/02/1706-0008$35.00/0 doi:10.1053/jpdn.2002.128952 439
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RITA BLACK MONSEN
REFERENCES American Academy of Pediatrics. (2002). The injury prevention program: The child as passenger on an adult’s bicycle. Available at http://www.aap.org/family/tippadultbike.htm. Accessed 2002. American Public Health Association. (1997). Children’s health agenda: Every child should be free from threats of injury and violence. Available at http://www.apha.org/ppp/issues/ violencefree.htm. Accessed 2002. American Public Health Association. (2001). The nation’s health web exclusive July 2001: Summertime more dangerous for kids. Available at http://www.apha.org/journal/nation/ kidinjuries701.htm. Accessed 2002.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. (1999a). Bike helmets. Consumer Product Safety Review, 4, 1-4. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (1999b). What’s new about bicycle helmets? Available at http://www.cpsc. gov/cpscpub/pubs/bike.html. Accessed 2002. Ni, H. P., Sacks, J. J., Curtis, L., Cieslack, P. R., Hedberg, K. (1997). Evaluation of a statewide helmet law via multiple measures of helmet use. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 151, 59-65. Rivara, F.P., Thompson, D.C., & Thompson, R.S. (2000). Bicycle helmets: It’s time to use them: The evidence that they reduce head injuries is too strong to ignore. British Medical Journal, 321, 1035-1036.
Children Cycling Rita Black Monsen, DSN, MPH, RN
T
IS THE SEASON to be jolly, and pleased we are to share our good fortune and abundance with children everywhere. Let us also take a moment to think about promoting health with our gifts and celebrations across the holiday season. I am thinking of gifts such as helmets and other protective devices that children need at home and in their communities year-round. The American Public Health Association (APHA) (1997) noted that universal helmet use by children and youth on bicycles could prevent 1 death daily and 1 head injury every 4 minutes in the United States. Moreover, citing a survey conducted by the National Safe Kids Campaign, the APHA (2001) called attention to the fact that one third of parents said that they would let youngsters under age 8 years ride bikes unsupervised by an adult. I am guessing that these parents are like many of us, reasonably careful and vigilant about their children, but not sufficiently so to adequately protect them from injury and possible death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)(1999a) notes that bicycle-related injuries outnumber those from any other sport among children aged 5 to 14 years and bring more than 500,000 persons to US emergency rooms with 900 deaths annually. With helmet use, we see an 85% reduction in head injuries. Helmet advocates recommend properly fitting helmets with no “wiggle room” both forward and backward and side to side. Helmets that meet the CPSC 1999 safety standards should sit square on the head with the chin strap attached (not tilted too far down on the forehead or back on the head). The CPSC (1999b) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2002) recommend that children under 12 months not be carried on bikes, neither in rearmounted seats nor in backpack-type carriers. Youngsters between ages 1 and 4 years who are strong enough to sit alone and whose neck strength is sufficient to support a helmet can safely be carried in a small bike trailer or in a rear-mounted seat.
Journal of Pediatric Nursing, Vol 17, No 6 (December), 2002
We have seen the positive effects of helmet use over at least 20 years since they have become widely available (Rivara, Thompson, & Thompson, 2000). We know that it takes legislation to mandate helmet use by children and adults most of the time. Ni and co-workers (1997) found that helmet use more than doubled after implementation of an Oregon law requiring helmets in youth under age 16 years. The CPSC (1999a) noted that 15 states and 60 localities had laws requiring helmets by 1998, impressive progress from a previous survey in 1991 when only a handful of jurisdictions had such regulations. Injuries and disabilities due to bicycle accidents are preventable, and I believe that every state should enact a law requiring protective devices at least for children and adolescents. Perhaps by starting with the young, we can see continued prevention as children grow into adulthood and become parents themselves. The holiday season can be a time of joy and generosity, and we always give thanks for the blessings that come our way now. An old family story tells of a tradition that included giving to the poor at this time rather than giving expensive gifts to the children. This was a good idea, and one that would warm the hearts of many, both on the giving and on the receiving ends of the spectrum. Let us also think of giving gifts of safety and health, not just to our own families, but to children and families across our communities and our nation. The spirit of the season inspires us to this kind of benevolence, now and throughout the year. Dr. Monsen is an independently operating nursing education consultant. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Rita Black Monsen, DSN, MPH, RN, 119 Ledgerwood Circle, Hot Springs, AR 71913. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. 0882-5963/02/1706-0008$35.00/0 doi:10.1053/jpdn.2002.128952 439
440
RITA BLACK MONSEN
REFERENCES American Academy of Pediatrics. (2002). The injury prevention program: The child as passenger on an adult’s bicycle. Available at http://www.aap.org/family/tippadultbike.htm. Accessed 2002. American Public Health Association. (1997). Children’s health agenda: Every child should be free from threats of injury and violence. Available at http://www.apha.org/ppp/issues/ violencefree.htm. Accessed 2002. American Public Health Association. (2001). The nation’s health web exclusive July 2001: Summertime more dangerous for kids. Available at http://www.apha.org/journal/nation/ kidinjuries701.htm. Accessed 2002.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. (1999a). Bike helmets. Consumer Product Safety Review, 4, 1-4. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (1999b). What’s new about bicycle helmets? Available at http://www.cpsc. gov/cpscpub/pubs/bike.html. Accessed 2002. Ni, H. P., Sacks, J. J., Curtis, L., Cieslack, P. R., Hedberg, K. (1997). Evaluation of a statewide helmet law via multiple measures of helmet use. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 151, 59-65. Rivara, F.P., Thompson, D.C., & Thompson, R.S. (2000). Bicycle helmets: It’s time to use them: The evidence that they reduce head injuries is too strong to ignore. British Medical Journal, 321, 1035-1036.