Children’s outdoor play injuries: how real are parental concerns of danger in outdoor play?

Risky play can be defined as any play that is thrilling or exciting, involving risk of injury [Sandseter, E. B. H. (2007). Categorising risky play—How can we identify risk-taking in children's play? European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 15(2), 237–252.]. Risky play has been associated with danger and increased risk of injury, yet there is limited evidence relating to the prevalence of injuries because of play, with existing data mainly related to home and sports-related injuries [Gilmartin, S., Barrett, M., Bennett, M., Begley, C., Ni Chroinin, C., O’Toole, P., & Blackburn, C. (2022). The effect of national public health measures on the characteristics of trauma presentations to a busy paediatric emergency service in Ireland: a longitudinal observational study. Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -), 191(2), 589–595; Lystad, R. P., Tran, J., Curtis, K., Browne, G. J., & Mitchell, R. J. (2019). Infographic. Sports injury-related hospitalisations in Australian children: Incidence, costs and trends. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(22), 1434–1435; Nabavizadeh, B., Hakam, N., Holler, J. T., Namiri, N. K., Sadighian, M. J., Rio, N., Enriquez, A., Amend, G. M., & Breyer, B. N. (2022). Epidemiology of child playground equipment-related injuries in the USA: Emergency department visits, 1995-2019. Journal of Paediatrics and Child HealthJ Paediatr Child Health, 58(1), 69–76]. The study investigated injury presentations sustained while playing outdoors in Ireland to a regional health service, three paediatric hospitals and a single urgent care centre, between 2020 and 2022. The data identify the type and frequency of injuries sustained and the equipment and activities involved. This article clarifies the actual state of risk in outdoor play and places it within the context of the specific developmental benefits of risky play. The key findings of this study indicate that play at great speed involving wheeled play equipment and play at height on trampolines are the main drivers of injury requiring medical intervention for children aged up to sixteen years.