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Is knowledge truly power when

it comes to traumatic brain
injury (TBI) prevention?

Intern Mentor G/T

Period 1
Michelle Mugo

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Before me, lay an eighteen-year year old boy groaning in pain on his bed at the
Neurotrauma Department of University of Maryland Medical Center. He had three gunshot
wounds and had other injuries. One bullet narrowly missed his brain but fractured his skull while
another one hit his spinal cord. The doctors told him that he would most likely need to use a
wheel chair the rest of his life; the injuries were permanent. The young mans predicament was a
result of bad influences and being around bad company in his neighborhood. At least he was
fortunate enough to be alive; many people with neurotrauma and traumatic brain injuries die
every day. As I volunteer at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), I have across
such patients and unfortunately the young and the old are equally affected. Other than gunshots,
some other causes of neurotrauma including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) include, road
accidents, people fighting one another, and accidental falls. Most of the neurotrauma injuries that
I have observed among the youth can be prevented. Unfortunately for some of the patients, it was
their actions that had resulted in the injury. If everyone were to be aware of the cause of these
injuries and then behave in a way as to prevent them, there would be less suffering and fewer
deaths from these types of injuries. Education about safety precautions is critical to reducing
the number of traumatic brain injury among the youth.
Many youth nowadays especially in developed countries do not realize that they
sometimes put themselves at risk of sustaining TBIs when they engage in behaviors such as
driving cars very fast, diving in to shallow swimming pools, being involved in gangs whereby
the likelihood of being shot is high, and engaging in contact sports without wearing the right
protective gear. As Thomas M.Scalea once said as he was quoted in a trauma spotlight article,
Injury is a disease that has no age, gender, social, economic or racial boundaries ("Making
Shock Waves"). Unfortunately, TBIs are one of the common reasons for hospitalization among

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the youth. Some are just minor concussions which do not result in any permanent damage often
sustained during sports or fights. However, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of
serious TBIs. According to the R Adams Crowley Shock Trauma Center in Maryland, motor
vehicle accidents are the number one reason why patients are treated at shock trauma ("Making
Shock Waves"). Even though some accidents are purely unavoidable and out of control, there are
factors we can control for some situations.
Traumatic brain injuries have destroyed the lives of many people who are unfortunate
enough to sustain them. For the youth, this may mean missing school if one is confined in a
hospital, being paralyzed, and for those responsible for causing these injuries on others, guilt.
These injuries are also known to increase the risk of developing other health conditions such as
depression and Alzheimers disease in adulthood (Langloi 375-378). The psychological effect is
long lasting; support groups that the shock trauma has provides an the patient with people he/she
can personally relate with because they had been trauma survivors. A person who sustains a
serious TBI will most likely be unproductive if he or she does not recover fully. Such people also
become a burden to their families and the society as a whole since they become dependent on
others for their daily needs. Its very unfortunate when this happens to a young person because
this means lost potential to contribute to society; a life wasted.
Fortunately, TBIs can be prevented if we use the knowledge available to us from various
sources. A good understanding of the causes of TBIs is the first step. Educating the youth on
preventing TBIs can be done in schools, at home, and in the community. There have been some
successful programs that are geared towards preventing TBIs among the youth so that they
change their attitudes and actions. For example, the shock trauma in Maryland has the
S.M.A.R.T program (saving Maryland at risk teens) and many others that help to prevent high

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risk behaviors through education. TBIs are not just a problem in the US but also are a global
issue as well and other nations are trying to protect the youth by educating them. In a study done
in Brazil, high school students from private and public schools were educated on prevention of
trauma through presentations and shown a video based on an injured victim. Students were given
a questionnaire that was based on Pense Bem Project which was inspired by the global injury
prevention program called ThinkFirst. The students knowledge and attitudes scores were
measured before and after the education sessions. The findings of this study showed that the
youths opinions about actions they would take to prevent trauma improved significantly after
receiving the education. Some of the behavioral changes that the students said they make
included checking the depth of swimming pools before diving in and not driving while under the
influence of alcohol. However, there is a concern that the youth might acquire the knowledge
about preventing TBIs but not practice what they have learned (Falavigna 562-568). It is
therefore important that other members of the society should be involved and assist the youth to
adopt good behavior or practices which prevent TBIs. The role the society can play includes
encouraging the youth to make good decisions, obey laws, and avoid bad company or negative
influences.
I am a strong advocate of including education on preventing TBIs and other injuries in
elementary, middle, and high schools as part of the curriculum; knowledge is an important key to
combat the rising problem of TBIs. In elementary schools, some students are only exposed to
knowledge on preventing injuries through extracurricular activities such being a scouts or a girl
guide. General information like warning them on the dangers of playing on fire escapes or
balconies is taught to children ("Traumatic Brain Injury"). Not much seems to be done towards
educating the middle school students and I feel that it is crucial to constantly emphasis the need

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to focus much on them. It is shocking how, Children ages 10 to 14 are at greater risk for
traumatic brain injury from a bicycle-related injury compared with younger children, most likely
because helmet use declines as children age (28) ("Causes and Consequences - Neurotrauma
Law Nexus"). It is simple factors like safety equipment can make a significant difference in the
outcome of ones life. In high school, there are some initiatives such as displaying in schools
around prom time a wrecked car to warn the youth about the dangers of driving under the
influence of alcohol during prom night. This was in our school last year and I found this to be
very effective and powerful way of reaching the youth. Furthermore, hearing stories of survivors
or relatives of victims of road accidents that resulted in TBIs is another very effective way to get
the message across to the youth. The emotional pull of such stories truly help teens think first
before they make life changing decisions. My recommendation is that more should be done to
educate the youth about the safety precautions they should take to avoid TBIs and schools are the
best starting place as the youth spend a lot of time in school.

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Works Cited
"Causes and Consequences - Neurotrauma Law Nexus." Neurolaw. Neurotrauma Law Nexus, 06
Apr. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. < >.
Falavigna, Asdrubal, et al. "Impact of an injury prevention program on teenagers' knowledge
and attitudes: results of the Pense BemCaxias do Sul Project: Clinical article." Journal
of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics 9.5 (2012): 562-568.
"Making Shock Waves." Marylands Health Matters. University of Maryland Medical Center,
04 Nov. 2014. <http://umm.edu/~/media/umm/pdfs/centers-and-services/shocktrauma/making-shock-waves-pdf.pdf?la=en>.Web.

Langlois, Jean A., Wesley Rutland-Brown, and Marlena M. Wald. "The epidemiology and impact
of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview." The Journal of head trauma
rehabilitation 21.5 (2006): 375-378.
"Traumatic Brain Injury." Mayoclinic, 15 May 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-braininjury/basics/prevention/con-20029302>