Clown images 'too scary' for sick children

DECORATING children's hospital wards with images of clowns is likely to frighten young patients, research has found.

A survey of more than 250 children aged between four and 16 found all of them disliked clowns as part of hospital decor, with even the oldest children finding them scary, the Nursing Standard magazine reported.

The children were polled by the University of Sheffield for the study, called Space to Care, which is aimed at improving hospital design for children.

Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university, said: "As adults, we make assumptions about what works for children.

"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them frightening and unknowable," Ms Curtis said.

Children liked colourful spaces and references to contemporary culture, she said, adding that it was important that young people were consulted over the design or change of hospital environments.

Marjorie Gillies, a senior nurse at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, said: "We found that having clowns and decorations everywhere is too much.

"We have gone back to plain walls with areas decorated appropriately."

The authors of the study, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, have produced a guide on how to create child-friendly environments.