obese men at greater risk in car crashes

Filed in archive Studies on March 7, 2006

This entry is submitted via Creative Reporter:

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that male drivers who are obese are more likely to die if they are involved in a road traffic accident.

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin looked at crash data involving 22,000 people throughout the US, comparing risk of death with the body mass index (BMI) of victims. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height, and is a standard way of measuring under- and overweight. Men who had a BMI of more than 35 or less than 22 were at significantly greater risk of dying after a crash.

The team suggests that the risk associated with high BMI may be due to various factors, including the greater momentum of an overweight driver, side-effects of obesity, and obesity-related complications of emergency surgery after the accident. Conversely, the higher death rate seen in thin drivers may be a consequence of "lack" of fat, which may cushion the effects of the impact. Another explanation is that victims with a low BMI may have an underlying illness that reduces their chance of survival.

Interestingly, the study found no relationship between BMI and crash death rates in women drivers. This may be partly due to the different body shapes of males and females.

by Wendy Anne Prosser, a freelance writer and editor.