Study Examines How Well Protective Headgear Works for Small Children Engaged in Winter Activities

Despite the popularity of winter activities such as tobogganing, ice skating, ice hockey and skiing among kids, as well as parents’ attempts to bundle them in warm clothing and protective headgear, there currently are no helmets designed specifically to protect children’s heads during participation in said sports.

Given this fact, researchers at the University of Ottawa and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa, Canada) have engaged in a laboratory investigation to discover just how well available protective headgear would fare during winter activities. The focus of the study was on helmets used to protect the heads of children under seven years old. The headgear tested included bicycle, ice hockey and alpine ski helmets — reportedly the most commonly worn helmets by small children during winter activities. The results of the study can be found in the article “Performance analysis of winter activity protection headgear for young children. Laboratory investigation,” published online in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. For more information, click here to read the full release.