New Research on Children’s Falls – WHO Step Safely, Kids with ADHD and Falls from Playground Equipment

Posted June 21, 2021

There a growing interest in the social, economic, and environmental determinants and effects of unintentional falls in children. Let's look at the global situation, American kids with disabilities, Australian playgrounds, and Canadian outdoor play.

 

* The WHO Step Safely report on strategies for preventing and managing falls across the lifespan has a focus on children and adolescents, the risks individually and in the environment, interventions and policy actions. It notes that “serious falls are problematic and children are prone to injurious falls as they are naturally curious and not always able to judge risk well. Around the world, boys are more likely to die from falls than girls”.  

See https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/safety-and-mobility/step-safely

 

 

* One of the first studies to look at outcomes from falls among children with developmental disabilities using a national U.S. database was just released.  An analysis for those with ADHD was done to confirm the findings in the first analysis involving kids with developmental disabilities. They found that children with ADHD who experience falls are often older (ages 10-14) and male, with greater odds of poor outcomes such as hospitalization.

 

A retrospective observational cohort study: Epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric unintentional falls in US emergency departments.
Nguyen QP, Saynina O, Pirrotta EA, Huffman LC, Wang NE. Injury. 2021 May 16:S0020-1383(21)00442-3. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2021.05.017. Abstract. Full Text

 

 

* In Australia, there’s a study of kids’ arm fractures related to playgrounds, especially monkey bars.

 

Too far to fall: Exploring the relationship between playground equipment and paediatric upper limb fractures.
Curnow H, Millar R. J Paediatr Child Health. 2021 May 25. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15583. Abstract PMID: 34033695.

Playground equipment, most notably monkey bars, appears to be involved in a high proportion of upper limb fractures (ULFs) in the Australian paediatric population. A total of 725 ULF cases were collected. Monkey bars were involved in 62% of all playground fractures. The study recommends measures that reduce frequency and severity of falls from monkey bars.

     See related article by Blanchard et al in 2020 about US playground equipment injuries 2006-2016 

 

* Canadian child injury specialist Dr Marianna Brussoni might well disagree with more controls on playgrounds. Her projects focus on risky play and how built outdoor environment impacts children’s play, including one on the hazards of safe playgrounds, and her recent webinar in April 2021 Why is outdoor risky play more important now than ever?

What is your experience on children who fall, the conditions and the outcomes?