More than 65,000 children younger than 15 received treatment in an emergency room for skateboarding-related injuries in 2006, according to estimates recently presented by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In an effort to promote safety, the agency released data on sports-related injuries incurred by kids younger than 15.
The authors, extrapolating from a sample of 100 hospitals across the nation, estimate nearly 240,000 kids 14 and younger were treated for bike-related accidents, the highest number for any sport.
Football resulted in about 221,000 injuries for that age group, baseball almost 85,000 and operating unpowered scooters just over 37,500.
"Injury is arguably the most compelling public health problem facing youth in this country because it is the leading cause of death and acquired disability from ages 1 through 44 years," said Gary Smith, director of the center for injury research and policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "For the age group they presented, sports and recreation is a very important piece of the injury picture."
Experts estimate that more than 30 million children participate in sports each year in the U.S.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9417095
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