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Making Moguls of Molehills to Improve the Safety of Kids Who Ski
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Posted on: 02/15/2001
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Snow conditions, temperature, and kids' attitudes about risk-taking have a big influence on their ski safety, among other factors. Studying these factors is a mogul-sized task. By snowplowing through the many possible risks faced by kids who ski, these researchers attempted to pinpoint the ones that seem to matter the most. By discovering these risks, better safety programs for young skiers can be offered.
Researchers targeted four possible risks that parents and young skiers could change once they learned about them. The four risk areas were lack of formal ski instruction, poorly adjusted bindings, rented equipment, and low skill levels. Information was collected during the 1995-1996 ski season at a large ski area in Canada. A total of 387 youths were assigned to either an injury or control group. The authors sent a survey to the parents of young skiers between the ages of three and 12, and children who skied by themselves were also invited to be part of the study.
When compared to the control group, the injured skiers tended to have low skill levels, use rented equipment, and have poorly adjusted bindings. Skill level mattered the most. Skiers with low skill levels had more injuries. However, formal ski instruction did not seem to have an affect on whether a child was injured. The authors suggest that future studies might show when and where young skiers with low skills are most often injured.
Skiers who used rented equipment also had a higher risk of injury, possibly because they are less skilled than those who own their equipment. Another reason might be that rented equipment is lower quality and not fitted properly. Also, poorly adjusted bindings were a factor in many of the injuries.
According to the authors, parents should be aware that poorly fitted equipment and low skill levels increase the risk of injury in young skiers. They also suggested that ski shops practice a standard way of fitting equipment and adjusting bindings for each person.
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References:
Claude Goulet, PhD, et al. Risk Factors Associated With Alpine Skiing Injuries in Children: A Case Control Study. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. November/December 1999. Vol. 27. No. 6. Pp. 644-650.
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