Patterns of sport and recreational injury vary by nature of activity, degree of human contact, game rules, and organizational structure. We analyze circumstances of medically attended injuries experienced by 11,116 Canadian youth and 15,686 U.S. youth in grades 6-10 surveyed for nationally representative school-based studies in each country. Data were collected from 232 schools in Canada and 386 in the U.S. in 1997-98 as part of the cross-national study, Health Behaviors in School-aged Children. Analysis accounted for sample designs. Students reported circumstances of their most serious medically-attended injury in the previous 12 months with injuries classified by expanded ICD-10 categories. About half of the students in both countries reported that their injuries occurred during sports and recreation. In both countries the majority of these were during organized play, primarily while training or playing team sports. While males received more injuries, females were more likely to be injured during individual rather than team sports. Multiple severity measures indicated that injuries from organized team play were more likely to be severe than injuries during unorganized team or organized individual play. About 60% of injuries occurred during organized activities at sports facilities or fields; only 25% on school property. Unorganized individual activities led to more injuries on streets and roads. Team sports of basketball, soccer and football had the highest proportions of severe injuries in both countries. Knowledge of these factors will aid in designing interventions addressed to responsible authorities in venues where adolescents play.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will gain knowledge of which sport and recreational activities result in adolescent injury and nature of injuries;. 2) Participants will understand where injuries associated with unorganized and organized sport and recreation occur; 3) Participants will understand more about where and to whom interventions should be targeted
Keywords: Adolescents, Injuries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.