MOTOR-VEHICLE OCCUPANT INJURIES IN NEW-ZEALAND CHILDREN, 1981-90

Aim. To determine the incidence of motor vehicle occupant injuries in New Zealand children and to consider future directions for prevention. Methods. The Ministry of Health's national mortality and morbidity fi les for the years 1981-1990 were examined to identify all deaths and h ospital discharges for motor vehicle occupant injuries in children bet ween the ages of 0-14 years. Results, Over the 10 year period, there w as an average of 26 deaths and 433 hospitalisations annually. Fatality rates were highest for the age group 0-2 years, whereas hospitalisati on rates were highest for those aged 3-4 years. Although mortality rat es were similar for Maori and nonMaori children, the hospitalisation r ate for Maori children was more than three times that for nonMaori chi ldren. No significant trends in either fatality or hospitalisation rat es were evident. Discussion. Motor vehicle occupant injury is an impor tant public health problem in New Zealand children. Reductions in the numbers of motor vehicle occupant deaths and hospitalisations will req uire not only legislative changes aimed at increasing restraint use, b ut also the development of strategies to ensure compliance with the le gislation. The identification of barriers to the use of child restrain ts is likely to facilitate the development of effective strategies aim ed at increasing occupant restraint use.