Playground injuries study earns big grant

Press, 11 July 1988, Page 5

Playground injuries study earns big grant

Wellington

A playground injury study will receive $160,000 funding from the Medical Research Council over the next three years. The council had awarded the funds to Dunedin-based researchers, Drs David Chalmers and John Langley, to evaluate the effectiveness of the New Zealand Standard for playground and playground equipment in preventing injury to children, the council’s latest newsletter said.

Injuries associated with playground equipment, particularly climbing apparatus, were a “significant public health problem,” the council said. From a research study, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Unit research team found 1035 children under 15 years were admitted to hospital in 1984 for injuries associated , with playground equipment. The researchers estimated playground injuries represented a total of 5774 hospital bed days a year, costing $1.9 million.

These costs excluded accident and emergency department costs or readmissions.

In 1986, a New Zealand Standard for the siting and design of playgrounds and the installation and maintenance of playground equipment was published by the Standards Council. The researchers intended to evaluate the effectiveness of the standard in preventing injury to children and to assess the progress of its implementation, the council said.