Children’s playground injuries

Young school-aged children hurting themselves in playgrounds during summer is a leading cause of visits to hospital emergency rooms - second only to cycling mishaps - according to data released today by a national health organization.

Alison Macpherson, an epidemiologist with York’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science who specializes in childhood injury research and prevention, says the study by the Canadian Institute for Health Research confirms the need to find new ways of preventing injuries and decrease the number of serious incidents requiring hospital stays.

Although the figures show no significant increase in the number of injuries since 1998, Macpherson is still concerned about accidents that require a stay in hospital, usually those requiring surgery for a severe fracture or head injury. “In 590 cases, the injury was severe enough to require at least one night in hospital. That’s about seven per cent of injuries – a significant number,” Macpherson said.