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Given the risk for obesity in U.S. children, they need to stay active, but they also need to be protected from injury. The author of this study used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database of emergency department (ED) visits in 2002 through 2004 to investigate injuries associated with playground equipment in children younger than 18 years.
Of 22,278 ED visits for playground injuries by 17,700 children (54% boys; mean age, 6.5 years), 45% of visits involved monkey bars, 30% involved swings, and 25% involved slides. The most frequent injuries were fractures (44%), followed by contusions-abrasions (22%), lacerations (15%), strains and sprains (10%), and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs; 9%). Monkey bars were the most c…