Characteristics of sports and recreation-related emergency department visits among school-age children and youth in North Carolina, 2010–2014

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  • Harmon, Katherine J
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
  • Proescholdbell, Scott K
    • Other Affiliation: Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, Chronic Disease and Injury Section, NC Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services, 5505 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609, USA
  • Register-Mihalik, Johna
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Injury Prevention Research Center
    • Other Affiliation: Matthew Gfeller Center, University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2207 Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Complex,CB# 8700, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8700, USA
  • Richardson, David
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
  • Waller, Anna
    • Affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine
    • Other Affiliation: Carolina Center for Health Informatics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Floor 1, 100 Market Street, CB #7597, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
  • Marshall, Stephen
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
Abstract
  • Abstract Background Sports and recreational activities are an important cause of injury among children and youth, with sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) being of particular concern given the developing brain. This paper reports the characteristics of sport and recreation-related (SR) emergency department (ED) visits among school-age children and youth in a statewide population. Methods This study included all injury-related visits made to all North Carolina 24/7 acute-care civilian hospital-affiliated EDs by school-age youth, 5–18 years of age, during 2010–2014 (N = 918,662). Population estimates were based on US decennial census data. Poisson regression methods were used to estimate incidence rates and rate ratios. Results During the five-year period, there were 767,075 unintentional injury-related ED visits among school-age youth, of which 213,518 (27.8%) were identified as SR injuries. The average annual absolute number and incidence rate (IR) of SR ED visits among school-age youth was 42,704 and 2374.5 ED visits per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 2364.4–2384.6), respectively. In comparison to other unintentional injuries among school-age youth, SR ED visits were more likely to be diagnosed with an injury to the upper extremity (Injury Proportion Ratio [IPR] = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.27–1.29), the lower extremity (IPR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.13–1.15), and a TBI or other head/neck/facial injury (IPR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.11–1.13). Among ED visits made by school-age youth, the leading cause of SR injury was sports/athletics played as a group or team. The leading cause of team sports/athletics injury was American tackle football among boys and soccer among girls. The proportion of ED visits diagnosed with a TBI varied by age and sex, with 15–18 year-olds and boys having the highest population-based rates. Conclusions Sports and recreational activities are an important component of a healthy lifestyle, but they are also a major source of injury morbidity among school-age youth. Physical activity interventions should take into account sex and age differences in SR injury risk.
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  • In Copyright
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  • English
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  • Injury Epidemiology. 2018 May 15;5(1):23
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  • Springer International Publishing

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