# Long-term outcomes for child occupants involved in crashes

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2024 · $236,585

## Abstract

Although child occupant fatalities have decreased dramatically since 1975, ~2 children die in
crashes each day and ~60k more are treated each year in emergency departments (EDs) for
crash injuries. The bulk of research to date examining factors that contribute to crash outcomes,
including results from my K99 period, are focused on the time period before and during a crash.
Very little research has examined post-crash factors and their influence on children’s long-term
health. The high burden and costs of crashes among children ($530M annually [CDC 2019])
underscore the critical need to improve child occupant safety across the crash-injury continuum.
Enhancing child occupant safety would prevent thousands of childhood disabilities and deaths
annually, while ameliorating the financial, physical, and psychological burden of crashes
experienced by children, their families, and society. This R00 is utilizing a breadth-to-depth
approach that integrates knowledge obtained from population- (breadth) and individual-level
(depth) analyses to improve children’s long-term health outcomes following a crash. The K99
phase of this work leveraged novel, state-level data to identify factors present pre- and during- a
crash that contribute to child restraint system use and children’s injury risk. The R00 phase of this
work seeks to expand these findings, specifically by conducting mixed-methods studies at two
pediatric hospitals to characterize and understand factors that contribute to post-crash outcomes
for children. Aim 1 of the R00 is to examine potential variations across hospitals in diagnostic,
treatment, and discharge approaches for crash-involved children. To achieve this aim, we will
interview physicians and other health care providers who make decisions about children’s
treatment needs/options following a crash. We will also conduct a large, retrospective review of
health records across study sites. Aim 2 is to characterize post-crash quality of life and health
outcomes for a large cohort of crash-involved children and their families. We will use longitudinal
surveys and semi-structured interviews completed by caregivers to characterize post-crash
outcomes (e.g., physical and mental health, family dynamics). The knowledge gained by this
project will ultimately reduce overall rates of pediatric crash injury and death by bolstering postcrash
treatment strategies for children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11134839
- **Project number:** 4R00HD105921-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Emma Sartin
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $236,585
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11134839

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11134839, Long-term outcomes for child occupants involved in crashes (4R00HD105921-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-08-17 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11134839. Licensed CC0.

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