Citation

Boyce WT, Sobolewski S, Sprunger LW, Schaefer C. Am. J. Public Health 1984; 74(9): 984-986.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

6465412

PMCID

PMC1651794

Abstract

We studied the epidemiologic features of playground equipment-related injuries occurring in a large, urban school district over a two-year period. Nurses in each of the district's 68 elementary schools completed self-coded reporting forms on all injuries meeting standardized criteria. A total of 511 equipment-related injuries were reported, an incidence of 8.9 injuries per 1,000 student-years. One-fourth of the injuries were severe, and climbing equipment was disproportionately represented among playground equipment associated with injuries. Extreme variability was found among school-specific rates of equipment injury, with schools at the two extremes separated by as much as a 40-fold difference in incidence. Two school characteristics--smaller student enrollments and the presence of alternative educational programs--were significantly associated with higher equipment-related injury rates.