Scooter injuries in children.
OBJECTIVE
To study the causes, patterns of injury and use of safety equipment in children presenting with 'push/kick' scooter-related injuries. To draw comparisons with in-line skate, skateboard and bicycle injuries and to suggest strategies for injury prevention.


METHODS
A retrospective review of medical data was undertaken for 12 consecutive months to September 2000. All children aged < 15 years who had attended the Sydney Children's Hospital with scooter, in-line skate (rollerblade), skateboard or bicycle injuries were identified. Children with scooter injuries for the latter 6 month period were contacted by telephone and interviewed, together with their parents, using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
There was a marked rise in the number of scooter injuries from October 1999 to September 2000. Sixty-one per cent of these injuries occurred during the final 3 months of the study period, making scooters the most common cause of injury in the studied groups for this period. Forty-two per cent of scooter injuries were fractures. Only 3% of children used safety equipment at the time of injury, despite 86% owning some form of safety equipment. Children were less likely to use safety equipment with a scooter than with any other form of activity studied. (Chi-squared P=0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
Scooters are a common cause of childhood injury, resulting in injury patterns similar to those caused by in-line skates, skateboards and bicycles. Safety equipment is rarely worn when scooters are ridden. Injury patterns and riding styles suggest that if existing guidelines for in-line skating, skateboarding and bicycling are modified and applied to scooters, a reduction in injury numbers may be achieved.
Chapman
S
S
Department of Emergency Medicine, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. sjachapman@hotmail.com
Webber
C
C
O'Meara
M
M
D000056:Accident Prevention; D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011336:Probability; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution