The objective of this report was to examine exposure to bicycling and its association with severe bicycle injuries in school-age children in a defined population. The study was based on a random-digit dialing telephone survey and analysis of hospital discharge records. The subjects were a sample of parents of children aged 5 to 17 years who owned a bicycle; all children who were admitted to hospitals with bicycle-related injuries from April 1989 to March 1991. The main outcomes of the study were: median annual bicycling hours and distance by age and sex; age- and sex-specific incidence rates by population at risk, cumulative exposure hours, and riding distances. Conclusions are that boys had a higher injury rate than girls, and bicycle-related injuries are more likely to be associated with exposure time than distance ridden.
Abstract