%0 Journal Article
%T Sports injuries among adolescents: Incidence, causes and consequences
%J Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
%D 2012
%A Schneider, Sven
%A Yamamoto, Shelby
%A Weidmann, Christian
%A Brühmann, Boris
%V 48
%N 10
%P E183-9
%X Aim:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 1-year incidence, location, type, mechanism and severity of sports injuries for adolescents in Germany. Methods:  Data were from the 'German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents', a nationwide study of n = 17 641 children and adolescents. Analyses were based on a weighted total sample size of n(w)  = 7451 adolescents between 11 and 17 years of age, 51% of them boys. Results:  A total of 577 adolescents (8%) reported having experienced a sports injury during the past year. Collisions and falls were reported as being the most important causes. The most frequent diagnoses were contusions, dislocations, strains and sprains (60%), followed by fractures (26%). Most injuries (88%) were treated on an outpatient basis with only 12% resulting in hospitalisation. Gender-specific analyses showed that 9% of the boys and 7% of the girls suffered from a sports injury during the past year. After adjusting for the level of physical activity, these gender differences disappeared (OR(girls) 0.94; 95% confidence intervals: 0.74-1.18). Excluding injuries incurred from falls while horse riding, there were no gender differences in the mechanism of injury. Among boys, 30% of all injuries were fractures, among girls 20% (P < 0.05). Apart from fractures, no further differences between the sexes in the range of diagnoses were identified. Conclusions:  Although these results suggest that the risk of sports injuries does not differ significantly based on adolescents' gender, the incidence rate of adolescent sports injuries within Germany is relatively high.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 1034-4810
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2012.02578.x