TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Electric bicycles (e-bikes) are an increasingly common pediatric public health problem
JO  - Surgery open science
A1  - Goodman, Laura F.
A1  - Birnbaum Flyer, Zoe
A1  - Schomberg, John
A1  - Maginas, Mary
A1  - Wallace, Elizabeth
A1  - Vukcevich, Olivia
A1  - Awan, Saeed
A1  - Gibbs, David
A1  - Nahmias, Jeffry
A1  - Guner, Yigit S.
SP  - 46
EP  - 51
VL  - 14
IS  - 
N2  - PURPOSE: Electric bicycles (e-bikes) achieve higher speeds than pedal bicycles, but few studies have investigated the impact on injury rates specific to the pediatric population. Utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), we compared rates of pediatric injury for e-bikes, bicycles, and gas-engine bicycles (mopeds) from 2011 to 2020. <br><br>METHODS: Descriptive and bivariate inferential analyses were performed upon NEISS estimates of e-bike, bicycle, and moped injuries in children aged 2-18 years. Analyses were stratified by patient age and helmet usage. The Mann-Kendall test of trends was used. <br><br>RESULTS: We identified 3945 e-bike, 23,389 moped, and 2.05 million bicycle injuries. Over time, the incidence of injury increased for e-bikes (Kendall's τ=0.73, p = 0.004), decreased for pedal bicycles (Kendall's τ= - 0.91, p = 0.0003), and did not change for mopeds (Kendall's τ = 0.06, p = 0.85). Males accounted for 82.5 % of e-bike injuries. The age group most commonly affected by e-bike injury (44.3 %) was 10-13 years old. The proportion of injuries requiring hospitalization was significantly higher for e-bikes (11.5 %), compared to moped and bicycle (7.0 and 4.8 %, respectively, p < 0.0001). In cases where helmet use or absence was reported, 97.3 % of e-bike riders were without a helmet at the time of injury, compared to 82.1 % of pedal bicycle riders and 87.2 % of moped riders. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The rate of pediatric e-bike injuries increased over the study period. Compared to riders on pedal bicycles or mopeds, children on e-bikes had infrequent helmet use and increased rate of hospitalization. These findings suggest that attention to e-bike safety and increasing helmet usage are important to public health among the pediatric population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2589-8450
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sopen.2023.06.004
ID  - ref1
ER  -