RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Validating injury burden estimates using population birth cohorts and longitudinal cohort studies of injury outcomes: the VIBES-Junior study protocol JF BMJ Open JO BMJ Open FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP e024755 DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024755 VO 8 IS 8 A1 Gabbe, Belinda J A1 Dipnall, Joanna F A1 Lynch, John W A1 Rivara, Frederick P A1 Lyons, Ronan A A1 Ameratunga, Shanthi A1 Brussoni, Mariana A1 Lecky, Fiona E A1 Bradley, Clare A1 Simpson, Pam M A1 Beck, Ben A1 Demmler, Joanne C A1 Lyons, Jane A1 Schneeberg, Amy A1 Harrison, James E YR 2018 UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/8/e024755.abstract AB Introduction Traumatic injury is a leading contributor to the global disease burden in children and adolescents, but methods used to estimate burden do not account for differences in patterns of injury and recovery between children and adults. A lack of empirical data on postinjury disability in children has limited capacity to derive valid disability weights and describe the long-term individual and societal impacts of injury in the early part of life. The aim of this study is to establish valid estimates of the burden of non-fatal injury in children and adolescents.Methods and analysis Five longitudinal studies of paediatric injury survivors <18 years at the time of injury (Australia, Canada, UK and USA) and two whole-of-population linked administrative data paediatric studies (Australia and Wales) will be analysed over a 3-year period commencing 2018. Meta-analysis of deidentified patient-level data (n≈2,600) from five injury-specific longitudinal studies (Victorian State Trauma Registry; Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry; UK Burden of Injury; British Columbia Children’s Hospital Longitudinal Injury Outcomes; Children’s Health After Injury) and >1 million children from two whole-of-population cohorts (South Australian Early Childhood Data Project and Wales Electronic Cohort for Children). Systematic analysis of pooled injury-specific cohort data using a variety of statistical techniques, and parallel analysis of whole-of-population cohorts, will be used to develop estimated disability weights for years lost due to disability, establish appropriate injury classifications and explore factors influencing recovery.Ethics and dissemination The project was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee project number 12 311. Results of this study will be submitted for publication in internationally peer-reviewed journals. The findings from this project have the capacity to improve the validity of paediatric injury burden measurements in future local and global burden of disease studies.