Occupant- and crash-related factors associated with the risk of whiplash injury

Berglund, Anita; Alfredsson, Lars; Jensen, Irene; Bodin, Lennart; Nygren, Åke

Affiliations

¹Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

²Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

³Department of Statistics, Örebro University and Unit of Statistics, Örebro Medical Center Hospital, Örebro, Sweden

Abstract and keywords

Purpose: Given that a motor vehicle crash (MVC) had occurred, to evaluate whether occupant- and crash-related factors, such as age, gender, seating position and type of MVC are associated with the risk of whiplash injury.

Methods: A study of occupants in cars covered by motor insurance at one of the largest insurance companies in Sweden, was undertaken during a one-year period. The study population comprised all occupants in cars exposed to an MVC in which at least one occupant was injured (n = 7120). Adjusted estimates of the relative risk of whiplash injury, associated with the different factors, were calculated by means of binomial regression analysis.

Results: Considering different MVCs, rear-end collisions were associated with the highest relative risk of whiplash injury when compared with side impacts (1.82; 95% CI 1.68–1.96), while drivers showed the strongest association with respect to seating position when compared with passengers in the rear seat (1.78; 95% CI 1.60–1.97). Females had a somewhat higher relative risk of whiplash injury than males (1.20; 95% CI 1.16–1.25). Regarding age, the relative risk was moderately increased across the different age groups when compared with the oldest age group. No interaction was observed on the additive scale.

Conclusions: Given that an MVC had occurred, subjects exposed to a rear-end collision and drivers had a substantial increased risk of whiplash injury, while age and gender were of minor importance.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Whiplash injuries; Traffic accidents; Risk factors

Links

DOI: 10.1016/S1047-2797(02)00252-1

PubMed: 12547487

WoS: 000180147700009

History

Received: 2001-07-26

Revised: 2001-11-23

Accepted: 2001-12-20

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2019	Fice JB. Neuromechanics of Neck Muscles: Implications for Whiplash Injury [PhD thesis]. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia; April 2019.
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