Outdoor play and risk in kids: a cross-sectional study

Background Outdoor play promotes healthy development in children, fostering physical, social and cognitive growth. Play involving age-appropriate challenges is an important aspect of child development. Physical activity injuries from play are a frequent reason for paediatric emergency department (ED) presentation. Balancing injury prevention with the developmental benefits of risky play is essential for promoting child health and safety. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the circumstances of injury (risky or dangerous play), injuries sustained while playing outdoors and attendance at a large regional paediatric ED service. Methods The electronic medical record system was searched to identify cases of outdoor play-related injuries in children aged ≤16 years over a 2-year time frame, from 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2022. A hazard is a danger in the environment that could seriously injure or endanger the child and is beyond the child’s capacity to recognise. Results A total of 6470 attendances met the inclusion criteria. Outdoor play was responsible for 3.5% of the total ED presentations. The majority of injuries involved children aged between 4–7 and 8–12 years. Dangerous play was implicated in 613 (9.5%) preschool (0–3 years) children. The play equipment implicated most frequently was wheeled equipment and trampolines. Regression analysis of trampolining injuries related to age suggested that the risk of injury decreases with increasing age. 298 (0.16%) of total presentations required admission. Conclusions Opportunity lies in the screening of trauma data from a regional service to inform future public health measures and targeting local department measures in young families to avoid situations in which dangerous play is a factor in an injury resulting from outdoor play.