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Injuries in Youth Football: National Emergency Department Visits during 2001–2005 for Young and Adolescent Players
Author(s) -
Mello Michael J.,
Myers Richard,
Christian Jennifer B.,
Palmisciano Lynne,
Linakis James G.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00357.x
Subject(s) - medicine , football , emergency department , injury prevention , poison control , american football , occupational safety and health , confidence interval , physical therapy , suicide prevention , emergency medicine , psychiatry , pathology , political science , law
Objectives: Limited research exists describing youth football injuries, and many of these are confined to specific regions or communities. The authors describe U.S. pediatric football injury patterns receiving emergency department (ED) evaluation and compare injury patterns between the younger and older youth football participants. Methods: A retrospective analysis of ED data on football injuries was performed using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–All Injury Program. Injury risk estimates were calculated over a 5‐year period (2001–2005) using participation data from the National Sporting Goods Association. Injury types are described for young (7–11 years) and adolescent (12–17 years) male football participants. Results: There were an estimated total of 1,060,823 visits to U.S. EDs for males with football‐related injuries. The most common diagnoses in the younger group (7–11 years) were fracture/dislocation (29%), sprain/strain (27%), and contusion (27%). In the older group (ages 12–17 years), diagnoses included sprain/strain (31%), fracture/dislocation (29%), and contusion (23%). Older participants had a significantly higher injury risk of injury over the 5‐year study period: 11.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.2 to 12.8) versus 6.1 (95% CI = 4.8 to 7.3) per 1,000 participants/year. Older participants had a higher injury risk across all categories, with the greatest disparity being with traumatic brain injury (TBI), 0.8 (95% CI = 0.6 to 1.0) versus 0.3 (95% CI = 0.2 to 0.4) per 1,000 participants/year. Conclusions: National youth football injury patterns are similar to those previously reported in community and cohort studies. Older participants have a significantly higher injury risk, especially with TBI.