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Senior Alert
Senior Citizens Lead Nation in Growing Lawn Mowing
Injuries
Injuries from lawn mowing increase nationwide
and by age
 April
20, 2006 – How often have we read that the risk of some dreaded problem,
like heart disease or cancer, "increases with age?" Well, now you can
add lawnmower injuries. The author of a new study says, "Lawnmower
injuries increase with age, with peaks in persons older than 59 years."
The study of such accidents in 2004, found senior citizens 60 to 69 had
the most push mover injuries and those 70 and older had the most riding
mower injuries. The author does, however, have some ideas on how to
better your odds.
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The 60- to 69-year age group also had the second
highest hospitalization rate due to lawnmower injuries between 1996 and
2003. Only one study published in the last 15 years noted the high
incidence of lawnmower injuries among seniors.
Children younger than 15 also had a substantial
number of injuries. Individuals in the 15- to 19-year age group had the
highest rate of hospitalizations caused by lawnmower injuries from 1996
through 2003
Mowing the lawn can be a weekly ritual of the
spring and summer months for many Americans. However each year, nearly
80,000 Americans require hospital treatment from injuries caused by lawn
mowers, according to this study conducted by researchers at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The researchers concluded that the number of
injuries from lawn mowers has been increasing for the last nine years,
with the majority of injuries occurring in adults age 60 and older and
children under age 15.
The most common injuries were caused by strikes
from debris, such as rocks and branches, propelled by the mower's
spinning blades. The study, published in the April 2006 online edition
of the Annals of Emergency Medicine, is the first to examine the extent
and mechanisms of lawn mower injuries nationwide.
David Bishai, MD, PhD, MPH, senior author of the
study and associate professor in the Department of Population and Family
Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School, and co-author, Vanessa
Costilla, a student with the School's Diversity Summer Internship
Program, analyzed data of mower-related injuries requiring
hospitalization from the National Hospital Discharge Survey from 1996 to
2003 and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System from 1996 to
2004.
According to the results, more than 663,000 people
were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for lawn mower injuries between
1996 and 2004.
More than 80,000 people required hospital treatment
for lawn mower injuries in 2004, which means about 2 out of every 1,000
injury-related emergency room visits is because of a lawn mower injury.
The rate is about half the number treated for
firearms injuries annually. In addition to strikes from flying
projectiles, the most common causes of injury for people over age 15
were non-specific pain after mowing and injuries occurring while
servicing the mower.
|
Top 10 Injury Mechanisms for Seniors >65 |
% |
|
Pain or overstrain, not caused by mower itself but rather
self-inflicted |
11.9 |
|
Getting hit by a projectile such as a rock or stick or other
debris from under the mower |
10.1 |
|
Falling or slipping while pushing the mower, caused by holes on
the ground or wet ground |
9.0 |
|
Servicing lawnmower while it was still running, eg, sticking
hand in it to clear brush |
8.2 |
|
Servicing lawnmower while it was not running or not specified;
may mention changing blade |
7.1 |
|
Falling off riding mower (driver) |
6.7 |
|
Cut by mower, not specified how |
5.6 |
|
Tripping on mower or falling onto it |
4.9 |
|
Injured while attempting to lift or load or unload mower |
4.5 |
|
Mowing under low trees |
4.5 |
|
Other |
27.6 |
The most common injury requiring hospitalization
was fractures of the foot.
Based on the study results, Bishai recommends some
safety tips to follow to avoid lawn mowing injuries.
● Wear goggles, long pants and close-toed shoes
with gripped soles
● Clear the yard of debris before mowing
● Keep everyone, especially small children, from the yard while
mowing
● People with histories of chest, back or joint pain should
reconsider mowing
● Use care and wear protective gloves when servicing mower or
changing blades
● Many injuries occur while lifting mower - get help if needed
● Never service the mower while it is running
● Mow only in good weather conditions - avoid mowing in high heat
● Do not use riding mower on steep hills or embankments
● Do not carry passengers on riding mowers or tow passengers behind
the mower
● Do not allow children under the age of 16 to operate riding mower
● Store lawn mowers in area with minimal traffic and not accessible
to children
"These are machines with sharp blades spinning at
160 miles per hour just inches away from our feet and hands. Everyone
needs to respect the dangers and use common sense," said Bishai.
"There is no reason anyone under 12 should ever be
injured by a lawn mower," said David Bishai, MD, PhD, MPH, senior author
of the study and associate professor in the Department of Population and
Family Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School. "If we would keep the
kids off the lawn when mowing and off the riding mowers we could greatly
reduce the number of injuries each year." The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends that no one under age 16 should use a riding
mower, and no one under age 12 should use a push mower.
About study:
Funding for the study was provided by the Student
Diversity Office at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
and grants from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for
Injury Prevention and Control.
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