Injuries in Swedish schools during recesses: distribution and patterns

摘要

The study examines the distribution of injuries to Swedish pupils during school recesses and their patterns. Data were gathered from an injury register created during the school year 1996/97. Seventy-nine schools (a total of 28935 pupils aged 7-18 years) took part in the registration, for which a standardized form was used. Recess injury ratios (IRs) by gender, type of municipality, and type of school were computed—all injuries aggregated and for four injury patterns. IRs varied by gender, type of school (school levels catered for), and type of municipality. But injury pattern was found to be associated above all with gender. As a whole, the findings illustrate the circumstances under which injuries are incurred by pupils during recesses and suggest a number of targets for prevention.