A descriptive analysis of children's playground injuries in the United States 1990-4.

OBJECTIVES To review playground injury statistics over a five year period in order to develop an awareness of how and where children in the United States are being injured. METHODS All data are based on the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for playground related injuries during 1990-4. The surveillance data includes injuries recorded in more than 90 hospital emergency departments located throughout the United States. RESULTS Each year there are roughly 211,000 preschool or elementary school-children in the United States who receive emergency department care for injuries associated with playground equipment. On average, 17 of these cases result in death. 70% of all injuries occur on public playgrounds, with nearly one third classified as severe. Swings, climbers, and slides are the pieces of playground equipment associated with 88% of all NEISS reported injuries. Falls to the surface are responsible for 70%. CONCLUSIONS NEISS playground injury statistics contribute to our understanding of playground injuries. By identifying where and how children are injured, suggestions can be made in an attempt to make playgrounds safer.