Traumatic Brain Injury: Prevention
While TBI is serious, simple steps during everyday activities like driving, playing sports, and exercising can help you reduce your risk. Review the guidance on this page to learn how you and others in your life can avoid a TBI.
Avoiding falls
Unintentional falls are a leading cause of TBI, so knowing how to avoid them is important. Below are prevention tips for older adults and young children—the two populations most vulnerable to falls.
Ways older adults can protect themselves from falls
- Talk to your doctor about your risk for falling. Ask what specific things you can do to reduce your risk for a fall.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines to see if any might make you dizzy or sleepy. Your list should include prescription medicines, over-the counter medicines, herbal supplements, and vitamins.
- Have your eyes checked at least once a year. Be sure to update your eyeglasses or contact lenses, if needed.
- Do strength and balance exercises to make your legs stronger and improve your balance.
- Make your home safer. For example, remove rugs or other tripping hazards.
Ways parents can protect their younger children
- Install window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows.
- Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around.
- Make sure your child’s playground has soft material under it, such as hardwood mulch or sand.
What can I do to prevent traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
- Buckle your seatbelt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle.
- Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Wear a helmet, or appropriate headgear, when you or your children:
- Ride a bike, motorcycle, snowmobile, scooter, or use an all-terrain vehicle.
- Play a contact sport, such as football, ice hockey, or boxing.
- Use in-line skates or ride a skateboard.
- Play baseball or softball.
- Ride a horse.
- Ski or snowboard.
Public health efforts
Both national and statewide emergency department, hospitalization, and death data help inform the most effective approaches to prevent and address TBI. These data also provide insight into which populations are more likely to experience TBI and may need additional support, which informs best practice recommendations, community outreach, and partnership efforts. The efforts are funded through the federal Injury Center's Core State Injury Prevention Program (SIPP). Learn more about the Core SIPP on the CDC (Centers for Disease Prevention and Control) website.
The CDC HEADS UP campaign provides free tools for health care providers, school administrators, nurses, teachers, coaches, and parents to help them recognize and respond to a TBI. HEADS UP materials can be found on the CDC website.
The WISH Query module provides data on injury-related mortality, emergency department (ED) visits, and injury-related hospitalizations of Wisconsin residents from 2016 through the most recent year of available data.
