Incidence and cost of hospitalisation of children with injuries from playground equipment falls in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Aims: To describe the epidemiological profile and cost of hospitalised injuries caused by playground equipment falls of children aged 0-14 years, in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: Linked New South Wales hospitalisation data from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2014 were used to describe the incidence of hospitalisation for playground falls, the age-standardised rate of hospitalisation per year, age group and gender, the characteristics of the injured children and the injury incident. Health outcomes, such as length of stay in hospital, and the hospital costs associated with the injuries were examined by age group. Negative binomial regression assessed the trend in hospitalisation rates over time.

Results: There were 7795 hospitalisations of children for playground fall injuries. The highest hospitalisation rate was for the 5-9 year olds (220.7 per 100 000 population) and was higher in males than females (234.2 and 206.3 per 100 000 population, respectively). The majority of these injuries occurred in schools (17.1%) and homes (14.6%), and were as a result of falls from trampolines (34.3%) and climbing apparatuses (28.2%). Over half the playground falls led to fractures of the elbow and wrist (54.7%). The total hospital cost of playground fall-related injuries was $18 million.

Conclusion: Rates of hospitalisation of children for playground fall injuries remain high despite implementation of national playground safety standards in Australia. This research highlights where interventions should be targeted to reduce the incidence and burden of injuries following falls from playground equipment.

Keywords: children; hospitalisation; linked data; playground falls.