Sports

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today released a report showing that hospital emergency room-treated trampoline injuries almost tripled in the last decade - from an estimated 37,500 in 1991 to almost 100,000 in 1999. Nearly two-thirds of the victims were children 6 to 14 years of age. About 15 percent of injuries involved young children under 6 years old. Since 1990, CPSC has received reports of 11 deaths related to trampoline use.

Swimming pools should always be happy places. Unfortunately, each year thousands of American families confront swimming pool tragedies - drownings and near-drownings of young children. These tragedies are preventable. This U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) handbook offers guidelines for pool barriers that can help prevent most submersion incidents involving young children.

Pool and spa drains pose a serious risk of body entrapment and hair
entanglement, particularly to children, but are preventable hazards if
safety precautions, including the use of special drain covers, safety
vacuum-release systems (SVRSs), and other pressure-venting
fitler-construction techniques are used, say the Consumer Product Safety
Commission and The American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Among unintentional injuries, drowning is the second leading cause of death to this age group after motor vehicle accidents. In some Sunbelt states such as California, Florida and Arizona, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death to children under five.

The a Policy Statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics on In-Line Skating Injuries in Children and Adolescents recommends that pediatricians provide the following advice to patients and families concerned with in-line skating...

Safe in-line skating is a snap when you remember to SLAP!

Overuse injuries have become commonplace among young athletes in the last decade (although "Little League elbow" has been a problem for decades). They are not the kind suffered by children and adolescents engaging in free play or "pick up" games, but are clearly a product of the organized youth sports boom. The damage to hard and soft tissues resulting from undetected, unreported and often untreated overuse injuries can be permanent and lead to problems later in life, such as arthritis.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that over 500,000 persons suffer bicycle-related injuries serious enough to require hospital emergency room treatment each year.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that over 500,000 persons suffer bicycle-related injuries serious enough to require hospital emergency room treatment each year.

Purchasing a bike helmet and getting your child to wear it on each ride is one of the most important things you can do for your growing child. Like childproofing your home or making sure she is buckled into a car safety seat, making bike helmet use a habit is a critical safety measure.