Parental perspectives on risk and danger are important to consider in children’s injury prevention research, as they influence children’s adoption of safety strategies and influence how children approach risk and danger (Brussoni & Olsen, 2011). Despite single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ increasing numbers and the important roles they play in their children’s development, there has been a lack of research on their perspectives on children’s engagement in outdoor risky play until now. This thesis is written in the publishable paper format and is comprised of two papers, which were informed by poststructural feminist theory. In the first paper, I used semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews and critical discourse analysis to explore single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ perspectives of their 4-12 year old children’s engagement in outdoor risky play and how they relate to tension-filled discourses of “good” fathering. In the second paper, I also used semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews, but I explored single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ perspectives of masculinity and its influence on their understanding of their children’s outdoor risky play. Taken together, the findings from both papers showcase the important roles that single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers play in their children’s outdoor risky play.

Airbags save lives; however, first generation airbags resulted in unintended fatal and injurious consequences for children and small statured adults seated in front of them. An immediate solution allowed for the development of less aggressive airbags (second generation), a subsequent revision to FMVSS 208 required further changes to airbags for the protection of children. These advanced airbags are required to either suppress or with a LRD in the presence of a child. Though car manufacturers have spent a considerable amount of time and money to meet the advanced airbag requirements, the effects of these airbags and characteristics of children seated in front of them have not been extensively studied. This thesis presents the requirements for advanced airbags, characteristics of children in MVCs, an evaluation of crashes involving children involved in crashes in the RFP seat for all airbag types and finally a case study of children seated in front of an advanced airbag during a crash. Overall, vehicles with advanced airbags were found to be safer for children than vehicles equipped with earlier airbag generations including vehicles not equipped with airbags. These findings suggest that vehicles overall are safer since one option for an advanced airbag is suppression which would render the occupant without an airbag. Further, the advanced airbags appear to be working as intended during real-world crashes. However, the back seat remains the safest place for children; this work in no way advocates that children should be seated in the RFP seat. / Master of Science

Falls from playground equipment are a leading cause of injury for children, hence, there is a need for intervention programs to reduce the risky behaviours associated with falls. The Cool 2 Be Safe program was developed based on the results of several research studies that identified effective strategies for reducing risk behaviours on playgrounds among individually tested school-age children. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of delivering this program in a group format within Boys and Girls Clubs. Baseline data assessing children’s attitudes and injury beliefs was collected with a questionnaire. Children then participated in four structured activity sessions in small groups, designed to increase risk awareness and reduce the frequency of risky play in playground settings. Children were then re-administered the initial questionnaire. Comparing pre- and post- data revealed positive changes in risk attitudes. Implications of these findings for preventing playground injuries and directions for future research are discussed. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Bombardier Master’s Graduate Scholarship

This study is focused on injury problems of pre-school children. Children injuries are one out of most frequent causes of children's mortality and sickness absence. Therefore it is a worldwide problem. Unfortunately, Czech Republic is rated according to accident statistics as one of worst countries in Europe. Because of that it is necessary to focus more on prevention of those effects.In terms of research it was proven, that the knowledge of children and their parents is insufficient. Increasing this knowledge of children was achieved with founding of preventive program. For parents was chosen a form of informative leaflet. In my opinion, the decrease of children's injuries would be possible with help of methodical impingement upon children and even their parents.

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The purpose of this study on hand injury from powered wood splitters was to describe injury epidemiology and anatomy, to rate injury severity, to evaluate the outcome after injury and to describe factors of possible importance for the occurrence of injury. By searching a computerized patient registry, 131 patients injured by wood splitters from 1995 to 2001 were identified. Information was obtained from hospital records and radiographs, a written questionnaire and a structured telephone interview. Injury severity was rated according to the Hand Injury Severity Scoring System (HISS system) and the Injury Severity Score (ISS). Outcome was evaluated with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand outcome questionnaire (DASH) and, in 26 of the most severely injured patients, with the Sollerman test. Forty-six percent of the injuries occurred during April or May. Wedge splitters caused 82 % of all injuries and most often injured the index finger, while screw splitters caused 18 % of all injuries and most often injured the metacarpus. Screw splitters caused palmar perforation and thumb avulsion. Sixty-three percent of all patients had an amputation or devascularising injury. The reliability of HISS rating was good. The mean Hand Injury Severity Score (HISS) was 63 which is equivalent to a severe hand injury. The mean ISS was 3.7. Nineteen percent of patients had minor, 31 % had moderate, 23 % had severe and 27 % had major injury according to the HISS system. Children had more severe injuries than adults. There was no significant difference regarding HISS or DASH scores between wedge and screw splitter injuries. The mean DASH score was 15, indicating moderate residual sequelae, but patients without sequelae and patients with grave sequelae were found in all HISS severity grades. There was a weak but significant correlation between the HISS and DASH scores. The mean Sollerman score in the injured hand was 66, indicating significantly impaired hand function. Twenty-nine percent of splitters were home-made. Very few machines had the safety measures required by European Standards. Children were present during splitting in at least 15 % of cases. Not being alone at the machine was one cause of wedge splitter injury. Glove use was one cause of screw splitter injury. Hand injury from powered wood splitters is a significant problem. Many of the injuries are severe, and cause long term sequels and impairment of hand function. Prevention is essential and should focus on unsafe machines and dangerous patterns of use.