The relationship between childhood injuries and family type

This article focuses on the relationship between childhood injuries and family type. Injury is the leading cause of death among children in Australia. While children in sole-parent families were over-represented among the 17 percent of children who sustained an injury in the Growing Up in Australia study, once socio-economic indicators were taken into account, the increased risk for injury for children in a sole-parent family was no longer apparent. The Draft National Injury Prevention Plan was developed by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aging to aid in efforts for the prevention of child injury.

Do parents’ and children’s concerns about sports safety and injury risk relate to how much physical activity children do?

Objective To see whether concerns about injury risk relate to children's physical activity (PA).
Methods Two cohorts were recruited from 19 Australian schools and assessed in 2001 (T1), 2004 (T2) and 2006 (T3). The younger (n=162) was assessed at 6, 9 and 11years old, and the older (n=259) at 11, 14 and 16 years old. At T1 and T2, parents of the younger cohort reported on fear of child being injured, and whether child would be at risk of injury if they played organised sport; the older cohort self-reported injury fear. Accelerometers assessed PA at each time point. Linear regression models examined cross-sectional associations, and also associations between T1 injury fear and risk and T2 PA, and T2 injury fear and risk and T3 PA.
Results In the younger cohort at T2 (9 years), fear and risk were both negatively associated with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) (β=−0.17, 95% CI −0.30 to −0.03 and β=−0.26, 95% CI −0.41 to −0.10) and also vigorous PA (VPA). Fear was also associated with moderate PA (MPA). For the older cohort at T1, injury fear was negatively associated with MVPA (β=−0.21, 95% CI −0.35 to −0.07) and also MPA and VPA. Parental perception of risk at T1 (6 years) was negatively associated with children's MPA at T2 (9 years) (β=−0.17, 95% CI −0.32 to −0.02). Sex did not moderate any association.
Conclusions Younger children and their parents need to know which sports have low injury risks. Some children may need increased confidence to participate.

Pretend play of children with acquired brain injury : an exploratory study

Objective: This exploratory study aimed to describe the self-initiated pretend play of three children who had sustained an acquired brain injury (ABI). No previous research was found.

Methods: Three children aged 3.0–6.0 years were recruited through purposive sampling. Pretend play ability was assessed using the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.

Results: Two of the three children scored below the range expected for children their age and one child scored above the range, indicating a wide range of pretend play ability for the children. None of the children could sustain their engagement in pretend play to complete the time of the assessment.

Conclusion: Complex pretend play ability is a functional assessment of cognitive ability involving sequential planning, problem-solving, language and social understanding. Cognitive fatigue is argued to explain the children's limited ability to engage in play for the time expected for their ages. More research is required.