277 - Pediatric ATV related injuries in Arkansas by region

Publication Number: 2267.277

Nikita Patil, UAMS/Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR, United States; Renita Pushparajah Mak, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, little rock, AR, United States; April Clawson, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States; Kristyn Jeffries, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR, United States; Lee J. Crawley, AR Children's hospital, CONWAY, AR, United States; Andrew Tran, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR, United States

Background: The use of commercial or recreational all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has significantly increased, particularly amongst the pediatric population with over 300,000 children requiring emergency department evaluation between 2001 and 2010.
Similar to national trends, ATV use in Arkansas has also increased. However, little is known regarding specific demographic information of those who sustain ATV injuries in Arkansas.

Objective: We aim to compare frequency and severity of ATV injuries in urban and rural regions of Arkansas.

Design/Methods: This is a retrospective demographic study of all patients that sought emergency department (ED) care due to an ATV-related injury in Arkansas between 2018 to 2023. Data from hospitals outside of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital system were captured by utilizing the trauma repository from the Arkansas Department of Health. Review of individual patient charts were performed with documentation of various demographics including, but not limited to, age, race, gender, zip codes, ATV type, transport data, and ED disposition status. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Results: In total, 2,330 patients under the age of 21 received ED care in Arkansas due to an ATV-related injury during this five-year time frame. Of these patients, 66% were male, 83% White, and 9.6% Black. The median age was 13.4 years, with total ages ranging from 6 months to 21 years. The majority of cases occurred in 2020, with 299 ED encounters, and the least in 2018 with 149 total encounters. Among the types of ATV used, the most common was a 4-wheeler, with 35% of injuries, while 18.5% were on side-by-sides, and 5.9% on golf carts. More than half of all patients did not use a helmet at the time of the injury. The greatest number of cases were located in Washington County, AR which overall has a low child opportunity index.

Conclusion(s): These results demonstrate that the rates of ATV-related injuries in Arkansas are consistent with national trends. These injuries do occur more frequently in rural areas, especially those that have lower childhood opportunity indices, which indicate areas of moderate to high socioeconomic disadvantage. Using these results, we plan to develop and support community education around safe ATV-riding practices in schools and/or recreational areas, particularly in identified high-risk, rural regions of Arkansas. Furthermore, these results may support strengthening state or local legislation for safer ATV use.