Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Background: Motor vehicle collisions are one of the leading causes of disability in Canada. Obesity may put drivers at increased risk for injury and subsequent disability. Given the high prevalence of obesity in Canada, large potential impacts on public health could result from even small increases in collision injury risk associated with adiposity. Objectives & hypotheses: The objective of the proposed research is to examine the independent and interactive effects of height and weight on risk of experiencing a motor vehicle collision-related injury, as well as the effects of obesity on recovery from these injuries. Specific hypotheses are that: 1) increased weight and short stature will be associated with increased risk of incurring a motor vehicle collision injury for both drivers and passengers; 2) air bag deployment may be the mechanism of injury for obese/overweight and short stature drivers, due to decreased distance between the driver and steering wheel; 3) obese and overweight drivers will be at increased risk of poor recovery following a motor vehicle injury. Data sources: Data will be obtained from the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the prospective National Population Health Survey (NPHS), and the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Crashworthiness Data System (CDS). Implications: This research addresses two key public health issues (obesity and injury) and the need to understand: non-traditional consequences of obesity, causes of injury and disability, and factors that influence recovery from injury. Findings from this research could inform clinically-based counselling strategies as well as primary injury prevention strategies that focus on driver position and vehicle design. Understanding the effects of adiposity on disability and recovery from injury following a motor-vehicle collision may lead to rehabilitation designed specifically for this population