According to the Utah Department of Health, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a bump, blow, jolt to the head, or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. A TBI can range from mild to severe.

In Utah, 54 people daily are treated and released from an emergency department because of a TBI, and another eight are admitted to the hospital or die each day from a TBI. In 2011,

• 2,294 Utahns were hospitalized for a TBI
• 550 Utahns died from a TBI
  • Males have a higher rate of TBI hospitalizations and deaths compared to females for all age groups

Because of these statistics, it is important to reduce the risk of TBI’s. Here are a few tips from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) to help prevent head injuries.

• Make sure car and booster seats are age and size appropriate and installed correctly.
• To protect against serious falls in infants and toddlers use stair gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs.
• Make sure to wear the correct helmet when participating in activities.
• Use playgrounds that have soft surfaces like sand or mulch. Stay away from those that use grass or dirt.

For more brain injury safety tips and prevention, please check out the links below.

http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/pdf/Fact_Sheet_ConcussTBI-a.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/headsup/helmets/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/headsup/index.html