Published online August 1, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 2 August 2006, pp. 549-554 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2005-2913)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (3)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Knox, C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, G. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Knox, C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, G. A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ARTICLE

Differences in the Risk Associated With Head Injury for Pediatric Ice Skaters, Roller Skaters, and In-Line Skaters

Christy L. Knox, MAa, R. Dawn Comstock, PhDa,b, Jennifer McGeehan, MPHa and Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPHa,b

a Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children's Research Institute, Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
b Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, Ohio

OBJECTIVE. The goals were to describe the epidemiologic features of pediatric skating-related injuries sustained from 1993 to 2003 and to compare ice skating–related injuries with roller skating–and in-line skating–related injuries.

METHODS. An analysis of pediatric skating-related injury data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was performed.

RESULTS. An estimated 1 235 467 pediatric skating participants presented to hospital emergency departments with injuries between 1993 and 2003. These children had a mean age of 10.9 years (SD: 3.2 years; range: 1–18 years), and 50.0% were male. The most common mechanism of injury was a fall (83.1%). Ice skaters sustained a greater proportion of head injuries (13.3%), compared with roller skaters (4.4%) and in-line skaters (5.0%). Ice skaters also experienced a greater proportion of concussions (4.3%), compared with roller skaters (0.6%) and in-line skaters (0.8%). The proportion of facial injuries among ice skaters was greater than the proportions among roller skaters and in-line skaters. The majority of roller skating–and in-line skating–related injuries were upper-extremity fractures (53.9% and 59.7%, respectively). Children ≤6 years of age experienced a greater proportion of head and facial injuries than did older children in each skating activity.

CONCLUSIONS. The epidemiologic features of pediatric ice skating–related injuries differ from those of roller skating–and in-line skating–related injuries. Children should wear helmets during all recreational skating activities, especially ice skating, because of the risk of serious head injuries. Wrist guards should be worn to protect against the common upper-extremity fractures sustained during skating.

Key Words: skating • recreation • pediatric • head injury • helmet

Abbreviations: ED—emergency department • NEISS—National Electronic Injury Surveillance System • CPSC—Consumer Product Safety Commission • RR—relative risk • CI—confidence interval

Accepted Mar 20, 2006.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?