Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates

Sports safety - injury statistics and incidence rates

See also ...

The following statistics are the latest available from the National Safe Kids Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):

Injury rates

Approximately 3.5 million children ages 14 and under get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities.
Although death from a sports injury is rare, the leading cause of death from a sports-related injury is a brain injury.
Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.
The majority of head injuries sustained in sports or recreational activities occur during bicycling, skateboarding, or skating incidents.
More than 775,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being struck by an object, collisions, and overexertion during unorganized or informal sports activities.

Where and when

Playground, sports, and bicycle-related injuries occur most often among young children, between the ages of 5 and 9 years old.
The highest rates of injury occur in sports that involve contact and collisions.
More severe injuries occur in individual sports and recreational activities.
Most organized sports-related injuries (60 percent) occur during practice.

Who

Almost six million high school children participate in team sports.
Children between 5 and 14 years of age account for almost half (40 percent) of sports-related injuries for all age groups.
Approximately 20 million children take part in recreational or competitive sports outside of school.
Approximately 20 percent of children participating in sports activities are injured each year, and one in four injuries is considered serious.
Children who are less developed than a more mature child of the same age and weight are at increased risk for injury.
Sports-related injury severity increases with age.
Before puberty, girls and boys suffer the same risk of sports injuries.
During puberty, boys suffer injuries more severely than girls.
Girls are at higher risk for roller-skating and gymnastics-related injuries.
Children who are just beginning a sport or activity are at greater risk for injury.

Types of sports and recreational activities

Consider the following statistics:

Basketball - In 2000, more than 193,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for basketball-related injuries.
Baseball and softball - In 2000, nearly 99,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries, and nearly 26,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated for softball-related injuries. Baseball also has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to 14, with three to four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
Bicycling - In 2000, more than 373,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. In addition, 173 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes in 1999.
Football - In 2000, more than 186,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for football-related injuries.
Ice skating - In 2000, more than 14,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for ice skating-related injuries.
In-line skating/roller skating - Since 1992, 39 children ages 14 and under have died from in-line skating injuries, mostly from collisions with motor vehicles. In 2000, nearly 58,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related injuries. In 2000, more than 27,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for roller-skating-related injuries.
Skateboarding - In 2000, nearly 50,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.
Sledding - In 2000, nearly 23,500 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries.
Snow skiing/snowboarding - In 1999, more than 85,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for snow skiing-related injuries.
Soccer - In 1999, more than 82,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for soccer-related injuries.
Trampolines - In 2000, more than 75,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries. Most trampoline injuries occur at home (90 percent) and involve injury to a child's extremities.

Click here to view related Web sites

Return to the Safety and Injury Prevention Home Page
Return to the Disorders, Diseases and Organ Topics Home Page