Alison Macpherson looks for ways to prevemt serious injuries
TORONTO, August 12, 2004 – 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 yesterday 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 Information 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.
The study found:
- 8,698 emergency room visits resulted from playground injuries in 2002-2003
- 4,833 of those injured (56%) were children aged 5-9 years old
- 3461 of the injuries (44%) occurred during June, July and August
- The majority of injuries (3,461) were broken arms, wrists or elbows
- Children 10-14 were the next largest group to experience summer sports injuries
Prof. Macpherson works with the Canadian Institute for Health Information as a spokesperson and is also scientific consultant to child safety groups. She recently conducted a study on playground equipment for the Toronto District School Board and earned her doctorate studying bicycle helmets and efforts to legislate their use.
Copies of the study’s executive summary are available at www.cihi.ca
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