Injuries to children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997 to 2007, a new study finds.
The study, based on hospital reports of injuries, is scheduled to be published in the September edition of Pediatrics.
Researchers analyzed emergency room reports of gym-class injuries among 5- to 18-year-olds from 100 representative U.S. hospitals. They estimated from the data that the annual number of injuries rose from fewer than 30,000 in 1997 to more than 60,000 by 2007.
The studys senior author, Lara McKenzie of Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said larger class sizes and a decline in the number of school nurses may account for the increase in injuries.