Recently published articles
Effect of mouth guards on dental
injuries and concussions in college basketball
Mouth guards are often recommended for athletes
participating in certain competitive sports, including college basketball. This study tries to determine the
effectiveness of custom-fitted mouth guards in preventing concussions and dental
injuries. It was found that mouth
guards do not help prevent concussions or damage to lips or soft tissues of the
mouth. Mouth guards were, however,
found to reduce the rates of injuries to teeth and dentist
referrals.
Full
reference: Labella, C. R., B. W. Smith, and A. Sigurdsson. Effect of mouthguards
on dental injuries and concussions in college basketball. Med. Sci. Sports
Exerc., Vol. 34, No. 1, 2002, pp. 41-44.
Community childhood injury surveillance: An emergency department-based
model
Emergency department records were used as a way to monitor rates and causes
of injuries in the Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago. It was found that
there was a high rate of violence-related injuries in the area and a low rate of
house-fires and window falls. Data from this study have allowed for the
development of targeted injury prevention programs in the area. Continued
monitoring of injuries through the emergency department allows for evaluation of
the effect of these interventions.
Full reference: Zuckerbraun NS. Powell EC. Sheehan KM. Uyeda A. Rehm KP.
Barlow B. Community childhood injury surveillance: an
emergency
department-based model. Pediatric Emergency Care.
20(6):361-6, 2004 Jun.
Screening for intimate-partner violence in the pediatric emergency
department
The goal of this study was to determine the rate of intimate-partner violence (IPV)
in an urban pediatric emergency department using a confidential survey. The
annual rate of IPV was found to be 11 percent. No significant association was found
between socioeconomic characteristics of women and rate of IPV. Given these
results it was recommended that all women should be screened for potential
domestic violence.
Full reference: Newman,
Jonathan D. BA; Sheehan, Karen M. MD, MPH; Powell, Elizabeth C. MD,
MPH. Screening for Intimate-Partner Violence in the
Pediatric Emergency Department. Pediatric Emergency Care. 21(2):79-83, February
2005.
Pediatric window falls:
Not just a problem for children in high rises
Window falls are a frequent cause of
injury (15/100,000) among Chicago preschool children. Public health
efforts in New York and Boston have successfully
decreased the number of window fall injuries. The goal of this study was to
gather local data regarding window falls by reviewing information from a
Chicago pediatric trauma center to aid in a
public health campaign to reduce the number of falls in Chicago. It was found that
in Chicago, most
falls were from modest heights (2nd/3rd floor windows) in
buildings of four or fewer storeys, rather than from “high rises.” Data from this study have been used in
the development and implementation of the Kohl's Cares for Kids Safety Network's
Stop the Falls program.
Full reference: Pediatric window falls: not just a problem for children in
high rises Vish et al. Injury
Prevention. 2005;
11: 300-303.
Poor neighborhoods: Safe playgrounds
Playground hazards in low-income (median income $28,728 – 38,915) and very
low income ($18,266 – 18,955) Chicago neighborhoods were investigated and
documented by two investigators using an on-site survey. The study found that
there were no major differences between low and very low-income neighborhoods in
playground design or equipment maintenance. It was concluded that playgrounds in
low-income Chicago neighborhoods are of good design and have appropriates
surfaces. Areas for improvement include attention to wood chip depth, removal of
trash from the fall zone and equipment repairs. Greater adult supervision is
also recommended. Data from this study are being used in conjunction with Kohl's
Safe at Play program to help create improved and safer playgrounds for kids in
the Chicago.
Full reference: Powell EC. Ambardekar EJ. Sheehan KM. Poor neighborhoods:
safe playgrounds. Journal of Urban Health. 82(3):403-10, 2005 Sep.