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Below is a news digest on a policy statement published in the March issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
For Release: March 4, 2002 12:01 a.m. (ET)
CHICAGO - Skateboards should not be used by children under 10, and nonpowered scooters should not be used by children under eight, unless adult supervision is available - according to an updated American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement. Skateboard injuries account for approximately 50,000 emergency room visits each year, while scooters sent 9,400 people to emergency rooms in the first half of 2000 alone. Most of those injured were children.
The AAP also suggests that:
- Children never ride skateboards or
scooters in or near traffic.
- All skateboarders and
scooter-riders wear a helmet and other protective gear.
- Communities continue to develop skateboard parks, which are more likely to be monitored for safety than ramps and jumps constructed by children at home.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Since approval of
this policy statement, injuries on nonpowered scooters have increased
dramatically - from 40,500 in 2000 to an estimated 84,400 from January
to September of 2001 alone. More information is available from the
Consumer Product Safety Commission at
http://www.cpsc.gov/pr/prscoot.html
The American Academy of
Pediatrics is an organization of 55,000 primary care pediatricians,
pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists
dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children,
adolescents and young adults.
© 2002 - American Academy of
Pediatrics