CALGARY - Putting on a helmet before skiing or snowboarding down the slopes reduces the chances of a head injury by about 35 per cent without any risk children will hurt their necks from the added weight, suggests a review of scientific studies.
The analysis, published in Monday's edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at 12 studies from around the world dating back as far as 1991.
In particular, researchers wanted to debunk the concern that children, who have a higher head-to-body weight ratio than adults, might be more vulnerable to hurting their necks in a fall because the protective headgear made them more top heavy.
"What we found was, effectively, that there was a reduction in head injury risk with helmet use but no associated increase in neck injury risk with helmet use," said author Brent Hagel of the University of Calgary.
Helmet use on the slopes is on the rise, but not everyone is on board, said Kelly Russell, co-author of the report and PhD candidate at the university.
"They certainly aren't used by everyone, so some people aren't getting the message," she said. "Hopefully, people that are on the tipping point, they might be swayed to use helmets, because we've shown that they work."
Many safety groups have long advocated the use of helmets, especially among children.
The debate became even more heated after the high-profile death of actress Natasha Richardson, who died of a blood clot on the brain last year following a fall during a ski lesson at Quebec's Mont Tremblant ski resort. She was not wearing a helmet.
Safe Kids Canada is calling for a declaration to coincide with the coming Vancouver Olympics that would encourage people to wear helmets when they ski and snowboard. The "Vancouver Charter on Skiing Safety" is based on a similar declaration made before the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Italy is the only country in the world where winter sport helmets are mandatory.
Harry Zarins, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Canada, said the study adds to the argument that Canadian provinces should follow suit.
The government of Prince Edward Island is considering such legislation, he said, adding it would be much easier to enforce than other safety legislation such as bans on cellphone use while driving.
"It's easy to control. If you're on a ski hill, and you want to go up on the ski hill, you have to wear a helmet," he said.
"No helmet, no ski pass."
Safety groups say head injuries account for 87 per cent of deaths in skiers and snowboarders.
According to the study, head injuries account for up to 19 per cent of injuries reported by ski patrols and emergency departments. Neck injuries account for up to four per cent.
"Head and neck injuries are disproportionately represented in cases of severe trauma, and traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and serious injury among skiers and snowboards," the report reads.
To gather the data, the researchers looked at a dozen studies from Canada, the United States, Japan and Europe. The studies involved head injuries, neck injuries or both. They looked at self-reported injuries as well as reports from ski patrols, emergency rooms and insurance companies.
Within all the studies, 9,829 participants wore helmets and 36,735 did not.
The data suggests that helmets may be more protective in males and skiers with less experience, but those trends weren't significant.
The researchers point out that their results could be underestimated because the studies didn't take into account proper fit and type of helmet.
According to the Canadian Ski Council, there were about 4.2 million Canadian skiers and snowboarders in the 2007-2008 season.
In October, Vancouver-based Intrawest, which operates 10 ski resorts across North America, said it will make helmets mandatory for all children and teens enrolled in ski and snowboard lessons.
Hagel said it was important to consider all the available studies together to get a good idea of how effective helmet use can be.
"Incorporating that really solid, rigorous evidence was important," he said. "Now we can be more confident in our recommendations of using helmets and hopefully that message will come through."
