Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun 11;18(12):6322.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126322.

Reality Check 2: The Cost-Effectiveness of Policy Disallowing Body Checking in Non-Elite 13- to 14-Year-Old Ice Hockey Players

Gillian R Currie  1   2 , Raymond Lee  2 , Luz Palacios-Derflingher  3 , Brent Hagel  1   2   3 , Amanda M Black  3 , Shelina Babul  4   5 , Martin Mrazik  6 , Deborah A Marshall  2   7 , Carolyn A Emery  1   2   3
Affiliations

Reality Check 2: The Cost-Effectiveness of Policy Disallowing Body Checking in Non-Elite 13- to 14-Year-Old Ice Hockey Players

Gillian R Currie et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Sport-related injuries are the leading cause of injury in youth and are costly to the healthcare system. When body checking is disallowed in non-elite levels of Bantam (ages 13-14 years) ice hockey, the injury rate is reduced, but the impact on costs is unknown. This study compared rates of game injuries and costs among non-elite Bantam ice hockey leagues that disallow body checking to those that did not. Methods: An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a prospective cohort study comparing 608 players from leagues where body checking was allowed in games (Calgary/Edmonton 2014-2015, Edmonton 2015-2016) with 396 players from leagues where it was not allowed in games (Vancouver, Kelowna 2014-2015, Calgary in 2015-2016). The effectiveness measure was rate of game injuries per 1000 player-hours. Costs were estimated based on associated healthcare use within the publicly funded healthcare system as well as privately paid healthcare costs. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted using bootstrapping. Results: Disallowing body checking reduced the rate of injuries by 4.32 per 1000 player-hours (95% CI -6.92, -1.56) and reduced public and total healthcare system costs by $1556 (95% CI -$2478, -$559) and $1577 (95% CI -$2629, -$500) per 1000 player-hours, respectively. These finding were robust in over 99% of iterations in sensitivity analyses in the public healthcare and the total healthcare system perspectives. There was no statistically significant difference in privately paid healthcare costs (-$65 per 1000 player-hours (95% CI -$220, $99)). Interpretation: Disallowing body checking in non-elite 13-14-year-old ice hockey nationally would prevent injuries and reduce public healthcare costs.

Keywords: body checking policy; economic evaluation; hockey; injury prevention; youth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any competing interests to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis for policy comparison of body checking to no body checking.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Annual Report 2018–2019. Hockey Canada. [(accessed on 13 November 2019)];2019 Available online: https://cdn.agilitycms.com/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2018-....
    1. Taliaferro L.A., Rienzo B.A., Miller M.D., Pigg R.M., Dodd V.J. High School Youth and Suicide Risk: Exploring Protection Afforded Through Physical Activity and Sport Participation. J. Sch. Health. 2008;78:545–553. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00342.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Slutzky C.B., Simpkins S.D. The link between children’s sport participation and self-esteem: Exploring the mediating role of sport self-concept. Psychol. Sport Exerc. 2009;10:381–389. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2008.09.006. - DOI
    1. Fox C.K., Barranderson D.J., Neumark-Sztainer D., Wall M. Physical Activity and Sports Team Participation: Associations with Academic Outcomes in Middle School and High School Students. J. Sch. Health. 2010;80:31–37. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00454.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Daneshvar D.H., Riley D.O., Nowinski C.J., McKee A.C., Stern R.A., Cantu R.C. Long-term consequences: Effects on normal development profile after concussion. Phys. Med. Rehabil. Clin. N. Am. 2011;22:683–700. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2011.08.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Grants and funding