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Effects of Peaceful Playgrounds on Injury Reduction
San Diego County Office of Education A case study examined the effects of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program on injury reduction (Bossenmeyer, M. & Owens, K. 2004). The six-year longitudinal study evaluated how the adoption of and operation of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program (PPP) significantly reduced playground injuries. The site for the study was a K-5 elementary school in Murrieta, CA. The PPP designed and implemented at Curran Elementary significantly reduced injuries while at the same time dramatically reduced the incidences of rule infractions and misbehavior. The implementation of PPP and the ongoing commitment to continued staff development in the PPP principles led to both the significant results of the study and the school receiving the prestigious Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association in the category of School Safety. To test the hypothesis that the PPP reduces injury rates, a statistical test was performed on the sample data. The injury data were organized into proportions of the total number of children that were injured during three years prior to program implementation (average proportion of population inured between 1992 and 1994 = 0.05, n=1,560) and during the three years post implementation (average proportion of population injured between 1995 and 1997 =0.01 m=3,083). For information on the Peaceful Playgrounds Program contact: www.peacefulplaygrounds.com
Mary Blackman, Coordinator
The Health and Physical Education Coordinator provides direct services to the 42 districts
in San Diego County and collaborates with local and state leadership projects including
CAHPERD
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