FINDINGS FROM A MAJOR U.S. SURVEY OF PERSONS HOSPITALIZED WITH HEAD INJURIES

In 1974, work began on the first national survey of head and spinal cord injuries in the United States. The survey was a project of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke of the Public Health Service. This article presents highlights of the survey, particularly the findings about head injuries (that is, brain injuries). The survey population consisted of people admitted to U.S. hospitals as inpatients between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 1974. To be medically eligible, patients must have experienced physical injury (except birth trauma) caused by an external, mechanical force. Probability sampling was used in a three-stage plan to select appropriate hospital records. Findings of the head and spinal cord injury survey follow: Of all age groups, 15- to 24-year-olds had the highest rate of head injuries; males had a rate of head injuries more than twice that of females; head injuries occurred most often on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; and the chief cause of head injuries was motor vehicle accidents.

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  Public Health Service

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  Hyattsville, MD  United States  20782
• Authors:
  • Anderson, D W
  • Miller, J D
  • Kalsbeek, W D
• Publication Date: 1983-9

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 475-478
• Serial:
  • Public Health Reports
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: U.S. Public Health Service
  • ISSN: 0090-2918
  • Serial URL: http://www.publichealthreports.org/index.cfm

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brain; Data collection; Females; Head; Injuries; Males; Surveys; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Head injuries; Motor vehicle accidents
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00386885
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-036 316
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 30 1984 12:00AM