As part of an annual awareness campaign designed to bring attention to predictable and preventable injuries in children, Island Health is reminding parents how to prevent concussions, which is one of the main reasons children are hospitalized in B.C.
"A concussion is a brain injury that happens when you experience a blow to the head, neck, or body," explained Olivia Aguiar, an injury prevention specialist. "Concussions have one of the highest rates for hospitalizations with the pediatric population. However, the actual (number) of concussions is unknown, and this is because a lot of them are under-reported or people don't recognize the symptoms and know how to get attention."
If someone is concussed, she explained, they may look unbalanced, or not be "behaving like themselves." Kids, especially, can seem more emotional, irritable or they can experience other behavioural issues. A concussed person may also feel a headache, experience brain fog, or difficulty sleeping.
"When it comes to kids, the main causes of concussion are falls, and then with the slightly older kids, sports recreation," said Aguiar, who was hosting a pop-up event at Victoria General Hospital as part of Safe Kids Week on June 3.
The number one way for children to prevent brain injuries, is to wear a helmet, especially a helmet geared for the specific activity the child will be participating in. She also stresses that parents should keep a close eye on kids when they're playing on playgrounds to prevent falls.
Amelia Smit, an injury and violence prevention consultant with Island Health's trauma services, said she is seeing a rise in concussions as people are becoming more aware of brain injuries and their symptoms.
"[It's] really important that you're picking a helmet that matches the activity that you're doing. So the packaging will tell you whether the helmet is designed for a certain sport or for cycling. And then you want to make sure that it fits properly," said Smit, adding that some helmets, like cycling helmets, are designed to absorb one big blow to the head, while football helmets, for example, are designed to take multiple, smaller hits.
For a proper, well-fitted helmet, Smit uses the "2V1" rule, where two fingers should fit between the eyebrows and the helmet brim, the wearer should be able to make a "V" shape around the ears with the helmet strap, and just one finger should be able to fit between the chin and the helmet strap.
"You want the helmet to stay in place if you were to sustain an impact to the head. So the better fitting the helmet is, the better chance it will stay in place and it'll absorb that impact," she said.
