Vermont Physicians Promote Benefits of Ski Helmet Use for Kids.

Byline: University of Vermont

BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- This winter, pediatric trauma experts at Vermont Children's Hospital and the University of Vermont College of Medicine will initiate a survey of ski helmet use among youth in collaboration with one of the country's most popular family ski resorts. The physicians seek to both gain a greater understanding of how many kids currently wear helmets and promote helmet use among this population.

In their project's first year, the researchers hope to set a benchmark for helmet use, against which intervention strategies can be measured. The team -- consisting of pediatric trauma experts from the Vermont Children's Hospital who also perform research at the UVM College of Medicine -- seeks to develop and employ interventional strategies at Smugglers' Notch Resort in Jeffersonville, Vt., which they hope will be adopted by ski resorts across the country.

"Our goal is not to chastise or lecture kids about helmet safety, but rather to find out why …