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Sex Specific Effect of Obesity on Serious Head Injury from Motor Vehicle Collisions
Abstract:
Purpose: Obesity can be a contributing factor to decrease head injuries in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). We sought to assess whether obesity is associated with decreased head injury from MVCs by sex.
Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study and evaluated crash data from 1997 to 2015 obtained from the International Center for Automotive Medicine. Patients were categorized into normal, overweight, and obesity subgroups. The primary endpoint was serious head injury. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of subgroups were calculated for study outcomes adjusted for any potential confounders.
Results: Among enrolled 588 patients, 262 were male with 30.9% normal, 40.1% overweight, and 29.0% obesity subgroups, and 326 were female with 44.8% normal, 24.8% overweight, and 30.4% obesity subgroups. In adjusted models, the AORs of serious head injury in males were 0.503 [95% (confidence interval) CI, 0.249-1.015] in the overweight subgroup and 0.505 (95% CI, 0.265-0.966) in the obesity subgroup. Among females, AOR reduction was not observed in the overweight and obesity subgroups (AOR = 0.601, 95% CI, 0.315-1.149 and AOR = 1.422, 95% CI, 0.780-2.549, respectively).
Conclusions: Obesity in male occupants was associated with decreased serious head injury from MVCs; however, obesity had no significant effects on reducing serious head injury in female occupants.