E-Mail (COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Sledding is a popular winter activity in communities across the country, but it may not be as risk-free as many people think. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that 220,488 patients were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries related to sledding from 2008 through 2017. Nearly 70% of these patients were children age 19 years and younger. Compared to adults, children were almost seven times as likely to be treated in an emergency department for a sledding-related injury. The study, published in Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, found that the majority of patients were injured as the result of a collision (63%). Collision injuries occurred when the patient made contact with an object in the environment (47%), when they hit the ground (16%), or when they ran into another person (10%) or sled (7%).