Pediatric injuries in kids cafes and risk factors for significant injuries: A 6-Year cross-sectional study using a multicenter injury registry in Korea

Abstract

Background: A kids cafe is a popular indoor playground in Korea that combines a playground for young children and a cafe for their caregivers. There have been no national reports about kids cafe-related injuries in Korea. This study investigated kids cafe-related injuries in Korea registered in a multicenter injury surveillance database and analyzed the risk factors for significant kids cafe-related injuries. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance registry in Korea between 2011 and 2016. Significant injury was defined as an injury requiring hospitalization or surgery. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for factors associated with significant kids cafe-related injuries. Results: Among 1,537,617 injured patients, we extracted 891 patients who were injured in kids cafes. Of these, 46 (5.2%) were admitted, and 39 (4.4%) underwent surgery. The most common injured anatomical site, injury type, and mechanism were lower extremity (28.2%), superficial injury (27.2%), and slip (27.1%), respectively. Among injury-inducing factors, significant injuries were most commonly caused by a trampoline (28.1%), and rock climbing equipment was the only risk factor in a kids cafe that led to significant injury after adjusting for age, sex, injury mechanism, and injured anatomical sites (aOR, 14.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-147.72). Conclusion: The rock climbing equipment in a kids cafe can cause serious injury to children. Establishing safety regulations for rock climbing equipment in kids cafes may have the greatest impact in reducing significant injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery.