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3. Results
3.1.1 Bicycle Injury Hospitalisations by Age
Over the 15-year period, the majority of hospitalisations (excluding re-admissions and transfers) were in children aged 5 to 17 years old, in particular the 5 to 12 year age group which made up 42.2% of all bicycle-related injuries (Figure 2).
School aged children accounted for 75.1% of hospitalisations in 1981-1983 and 63% in 1993-1995. This change was mainly due to a reduction in hospitalisations in the 5 to 12 year age group which decreased from 51.6% of all bicycle injuries in 1991-1993 to 39.8% in 1993-1995.
Figure 2: Hospitalisations for people sustaining injuries in bicycle crashes by age and sex
The highest age-specific rates were for school aged children (Table 2). During 1981 to 1995 the rates for the 5 to 12 year age group decreased progressively, whereas the rates for the 13 to 17 year olds fluctuated.
Table 2: Age-specific and age-standardised rates of hospitalisation for people sustaining injuries in bicycle crashes
Western Australia, 1981-1995
Age group (years)
Period 0-4
5-12
13-17
18-24
25-34
35+
ASR1
CI (95%)2 1981-1983 47
160
115
14
10
9
47
(44.9 - 49.4) 1984-1986 44
141
133
26
16
8
47
(45.2 - 49.6) 1987-1989 40
127
118
31
20
12
46
(43.7 - 47.9) 1990-1992 48
122
104
28
20
12
45
(42.6 - 46.6) 1993-1995 38
121
117
24
17
12
44
(41.6 - 45.6) Notes:
1 Rates are per 100,000 person-years.
2 Figures in brackets represent the 95% confidence interval for the ASRs
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Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 October 1998 14:25
