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Descriptive study of sledding injuries in Canadian children
F Lee1, M H Osmond, C P Vaidyanathan
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Childhood sledding injuries often occur on unsafe hills without adult supervision. Key injury causes include collisions, icy conditions, and jumps, highlighting the need for safer sledding environments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Injury Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Sledding is a popular winter activity for children.
- Childhood sledding injuries present a significant burden on emergency departments.
- Understanding injury characteristics and environmental factors is crucial for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize pediatric sledding injuries.
- To identify environmental factors contributing to sledding injuries in children.
- To inform strategies for reducing sledding-related harm.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric emergency department visits for sledding injuries.
- Data collection via questionnaires on injury circumstances and patient demographics.
- On-site assessments of designated and non-designated sledding locations.
Main Results:
- Ninety-five pediatric sledding injuries were identified; 85% completed questionnaires.
- Most injuries occurred on non-designated hills (70%) with common mechanisms including collisions (33%) and falls (28%).
- Lack of adult supervision (51%) was noted, and serious injuries often involved motor vehicles.
Conclusions:
- Unsafe sledding environments with obstacles, ice, jumps, or proximity to roads increase childhood injury risk.
- Children without adult supervision are at higher risk of sledding-related injuries.
- Targeted interventions for high-risk environments and promoting supervision are recommended.
Objectives:
(1) To describe the characteristics of sledding injuries presenting to a pediatric emergency department and (2) To describe the sledding environment that leads to childhood sledding injuries.
Setting:
A pediatric hospital emergency department in Ottawa, Canada and identified sledding sites in the region.
Methods:
All patients less than 18 years with sled related injuries were included. Questionnaires were completed gathering information on the sled operator, the sled, the sledding site, and the injury. Site visits were made to designated and non-designated sledding hills in the Ottawa region to record data regarding sled operators, sleds, and the sledding environment.
Results:
Ninety-five patients were identified with sledding injuries and 81 (85%) completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 9.9 years (range 8 months to 17 years). The majority were male (63%). Most injuries occurred on non-designated sledding hills in the community (70%). Mild to moderate injuries were most common, however nine patients (11%) were admitted to hospital. Fifty-one per cent had adult supervision at the time of injury compared with 86% observed at the site visits. Common mechanisms of injuries were collisions with objects (33%), falls in icy conditions (28%), and going off jumps (16%). Most serious injuries occurred with contact with motor vehicles. There was no relationship between the type of sled used and the likelihood of injury.
Conclusions:
Sledding hills which have obstacles, icy conditions, jumps, or proximity to roads may result in more childhood injuries. Children with no adult supervision are likely at higher risk of injury.