2024 SAEMF/RAMS Medical Student Research Grant - $2,500
"Child Passenger Safety and Associations with the Child Opportunity Index"
Although motor vehicle crash (MVC)-related injuries are largely preventable, they lead to one million deaths globally each year. In the U.S., they contribute to over 30,000 total crash deaths annually and are the primary cause of 5-14 year-old mortality. MVCs comprise a large percentage of adult and pediatric emergency department (ED) visits. In 2017, the City of Chicago identified a Vision Zero Action Plan showing how traffic crashes affect communities in the city unequally, however, it did not include information on child restraint use or focus on pediatric populations.
Lurie Children’s Hospital is the largest pediatric provider in the state, and its ED receives a high burden of MVC sequelae. The objective of our study is to analyze and visualize child passenger safety data collected for the ED-based Tiny Cargo, Big Deal R014 in relation to socio-demographic characteristics among families in the greater Chicago area, using appropriate restraint use as a proxy. Proper car seat usage reduces the likelihood of injuries and deaths. Associations seen in restraint appropriateness with families of lower socioeconomic status (SES) often lead to increased hospitalization and mortality. Understanding patterns and areas of need across the city is integral to identifying at-risk populations for early intervention. Interventions include the deployment of educational materials and child passenger safety technicians, and further studies related to traffic safety in the city. Funding awarded through this SAEMF Medical Student Grant will allow me to develop the technical skills needed for analyses, biostatistical consultation, and travel to present findings.
Recipient
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Arthi Kozhumam, MScGH
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
"Child Passenger Safety and Associations with the Child Opportunity Index"
Ms. Kozhumam is a second-year MD-PhD student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine with a PhD focus in injury epidemiology, emergency medicine health systems research, and implementation science. Prior to medical school, she completed BS and MS degrees in global health at Duke University, with research focusing on pediatric mental health and time-sensitive conditions. During her PhD, Ms. Kozhumam aims to apply epidemiologic and geographic information systems analysis tools to local and global injury data and learn implementation science methods to inform an adaptable intervention across resource settings to reduce disparities in child injury. Through the SAEM/RAMS Medical Student Research Grant, she is working with Dr. Michelle Macy of Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to understand child passenger restraint appropriateness and relationships to individual- and population-level socio-demographic characteristics among children who received emergency and urgent care in Chicago. The long-term goal of this study is to identify family- and ecological-factors associated with child passenger safety to inform targeted deployment of a tailored intervention to promote child passenger safety best practices. Funding awarded through this SAEMF Medical Student Grant will allow Ms. Kozhumam to develop the technical skills needed for analyses, biostatistical consultation, and travel to present findings.