Health status recovery at one year in children injured in a road accident: a cohort study.
Despite the frequency of traumatic injuries due to road accidents and potential importance of identifying children at risk of impaired recovery one year after a road accident, there is a lack of data on long-term recovery of health status, except in children with severe traumatic brain injury. The aim of the present study was to evaluate predictive factors of recovery in children one year after road traffic injuries. The prospective cohort study was composed of children aged <16 years, admitted to public or private sector hospitals in the Rhône administrative area of France following a road accident. Recovery of health status one year after the accident and information concerning quality of life and the consequences of the accident for the child or family 1 year after the accident were collected by questionnaire, usually completed by the parents. Victims were in majority male (64.6%) and had mild or moderate injuries (81.9% with Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (M-AIS) <3). One year after the accident, 75.0% of the mild-to-moderate and 34.8% of the severe cases estimated health status as fully recovered. After adjustment, severity score (M-AIS≥3) and lower limb injury (AIS>1) were associated with incomplete recovery of health status: weighted odds ratio (ORw), 4.3 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.3-14.6] and ORw, 6.5 [95% CI, 1.9-21.7], respectively. Recovery status correlated significantly with quality of life physical scores (r=0.46), especially body pain (r=0.48) and role/social-physical (r=0.50) and, to a lesser extent, quality of life psychosocial scores (r=0.21). In a cohort of children injured in a road accident, those with high injury severity score and those with lower limb injuries are less likely to recover full health status by 1 year. Impaired health status was associated with a lower physical quality of life score at 1 year.
['Batailler|Pierre|P|', 'Hours|Martine|M|', 'Maza|Maud|M|', 'Charnay|Pierrette|P|', 'Tardy|Hélène|H|', 'Tournier|Charlène|C|', 'Javouhey|Etienne|E|']
D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale D000063:Accidents, Traffic D000293:Adolescent D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D015331:Cohort Studies D005260:Female D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006304:Health Status D006801:Humans D007223:Infant D007231:Infant, Newborn D008297:Male D011446:Prospective Studies D011788:Quality of Life D020127:Recovery of Function D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D014947:Wounds and Injuries
Cohort study Injury Child One year follow-up Recovery of function Road traffic accident