Preventing Accidental Injury. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 29, 2010 Contact: Cherie Sage, 785-296-1223, or Daina Hodges, 785-296-0351

Safe Kids Kansas Offers Youth Sports Safety Tips

National Safe Kids Week emphasizes the importance of keeping children
healthy and active through prevention of sports-related injuries

Topeka, Kan. — More than 30 million children participate in sports each year in the United States. Of those 30 million, approximately 3.5 million children under the age of 14 are treated for sports-related injuries in hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms.  During Safe Kids Week (April 25 – May 3), Safe Kids Kansas reminds parents and coaches to focus on the four components critical to keeping young athletes healthy and injury-free: preventing acute and overuse injuries, proper hydration before, during and after play, annual pre-season medical screenings for each athlete and finally, concussion awareness, prevention and screening methods.

Here are five important sports safety tips from Safe Kids Kansas that all coaches, parents and league organizers can use to prevent sports-related injuries:

• Pre-Season Medical Screening: Every child should receive an annual pre-participation physical evaluation (PPE). These exams may prevent or treat any underlying conditions the young athlete may have.

• Safety gear: To prevent acute injuries, children playing sports should have access to and consistently use well-maintained safety equipment during both practices and games.

• Qualified coaching: Athletic coaches should be trained in both first aid and CPR, have a plan for responding to emergencies and have current knowledge of both safety rules and proper equipment use. Sports programs with certified Athletic Trainers on staff are ideal because they are trained to prevent or provide immediate care for athletic injuries.

• Proper Conditioning: To prevent acute and overuse injuries, coaches should teach young athletes proper routines for both warm-ups and cool-downs before and after practice and play. Sixty-two percent of sports-related injuries occur during practice rather than in a game.

• Hydration: Athletes should be encouraged to drink water before, during and after practice and competition.

• Rest: If young athletes are very tired or in pain, coaches and parents should encourage them to rest, not to play, as this valuable recovery time can help prevent acute and overuse injuries.

“Children ages five to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments,” says Cherie Sage, State Director for Safe Kids Kansas. “Our goal is to reach coaches and parents with this critical information and resources to keep kids out of the emergency room.”

For more information on sports safety and preventing dehydration, call Safe Kids Kansas at 785-296-1223 or visit www.safekids.org/sports.

Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of over 70 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14.   Local coalitions and chapters cover Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Butler, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Finney, Geary, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pottawatomie, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Sumner, and Wilson counties, as well as the city of  Emporia and the Metro Kansas City Area (Wyandotte county and several Missouri counties.)  Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. The lead agency for Safe Kids Kansas is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Visit us at www.safekidskansas.org.