HHS HealthBeat (December 15, 2008)

Child’s play

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Kids like playgrounds, but they sometimes can get hurt on them. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, looked at that.

The researchers say more than 213,000 children are treated each year in emergency rooms for playground-related injuries. They say the number has hardly changed over 10 years.

The most common injuries are fractures, bruises, cuts and sprains. Researcher Dawn Comstock advises adults:

“Make sure there is a shock-absorbing surface under and around the playground equipment. Check for spaces where children can get their head caught, make sure platforms and ramps have guardrails, remove any trip hazards, never attach jump ropes, clotheslines, dog leashes, anything like that to playground equipment.”  (17 seconds)

The study in Clinical Pediatrics was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: December, 15 2008