Playground Injuries: Fact Sheet

Overview

Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries (Tinsworth 2001).

Occurrence and Consequences

About 45% of playground-related injuries are severe\u2013fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations (Tinsworth 2001).
About 75% of nonfatal injuries related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds (Tinsworth 2001). Most occur at schools and daycare centers (Phelan 2001).
Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries. Of them, 82 (56%) died from strangulation and 31 (20%) died from falls to the playground surface. Most of these deaths (70%) occurred on home playgrounds (Tinsworth 2001).

Cost

In 1995, playground-related injuries among children ages 14 and younger cost an estimated $1.2 billion (Office of Technology Assessment 1995).

Groups at Risk

While all children who use playgrounds are at risk for injury, girls sustain injuries (55%) slightly more often than boys (45%) (Tinsworth 2001).
Children ages 5 to 9 have higher rates of emergency department visits for playground injuries than any other age group. Most of these injuries occur at school (Phelan 2001).

Risk Factors

On public playgrounds, more injuries occur on climbers than on any other equipment (Tinsworth 2001).
On home playgrounds, swings are responsible for most injuries (Tinsworth 2001).
A study in New York City found that playgrounds in low-income areas had more maintenance-related hazards than playgrounds in high-income areas. For example, playgrounds in low-income areas had significantly more trash, rusty play equipment, and damaged fall surfaces (Suecoff 1999).

Additional Resource

Protect the Ones You Love: Falls

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References

Mack MG, Sacks JJ, Thompson D. Testing the impact attenuation of loose fill playground surfaces. Injury Prevention 2000;6:141-4.

Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress. Risks to Students in School. Washington (DC): U.S. Government Printing Office; 1995.

Phelan KJ, Khoury J, Kalkwarf HJ, Lanphear BP. Trends and patterns of playground injuries in United States children and adolescents. Ambulatory Pediatrics 2001;1(4):227-33. \n

Suecoff SA, Avner JR, Chou KJ, Crain EF. A Comparison of New York City Playground Hazards in High- and Low\u2013Income Areas. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 1999;153:363-6.

Tinsworth D, McDonald J. Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children\u2019s Playground Equipment. Washington (DC): U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; 2001.