Hot Tub Injuries Up Almost 200 Percent Since 1990

November 3, 2009 6:41 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - The number of people being injured in hot tubs has increased dramatically over the years, coinciding with their popularity, according to a new study.

Researchers with the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital said in a statement that from 1990 to 2007, the number of unintentional hot tub injuries increased 160 percent. The report said the numbers went from about 2,500 a year to 6,600 injuries annually.

The researchers said that 73 percent of the injured were older than 16 and about one half of all injuries resulted from slips and falls.

Lacerations were the most common injuries. The lower extremities and the head were the most frequently injured body parts.

The study appears in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.