Sports-related injuries in school-aged children

Abstract

Most studies of sports-related injuries have been investigations of specific injuries resulting from specific, organized sports at the high school, college, or professional level. This study documented all types of sports-related injuries received by all school-aged children in a midwestern community of 100,000 for a 1-year period. Public and private schools, community sports programs, hospital emergency rooms, the schools' accident insurance company, and local physicians provided initial accident reports. Injuries were sustained by 3% of all elementary school students, 7% of all junior high school (grades 7 and 8) students, and 11% of all high school students. Nonorganized sports and physical education classes each produced nearly twice as many injuries as organized sports. One-fifth of the injuries were considered serious and one-fourth of all injuries could have been avoided had nominal safety precautions been observed.