Background: An estimated 2.7 million non-fatal unintentional sports and recreational injuries are treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments (EDs) annually. However, little is known about the number of sports and recreational injuries resulting from violent behavior.
Methods: Data for 2001-2003 on sports and recreational injuries were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)-a national sample of 66 U.S. EDs. National estimates and rates of persons treated for violence-related sports and recreational injuries in EDs are compared to those treated for unintentional sports and recreational injuries. Types of injuries and injury circumstances are described.
Results: During the study period, an estimated 6,705 (8.3 per 100,000; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 6.3-10.3) children and teenagers with violence-related sports and recreational injuries were treated in U.S. EDs annually, compared to 2,698,634 children and teenagers with unintentional sports and recreational injuries. Thus, violent behavior accounted for 0.25% of sports and recreational injuries. The highest incidence rate (13.6 per 100,000) for violence-related sports and recreational injuries was for children aged 10-14 years. Most patients with violence-related sports and recreational injuries were treated and released from the ED. A majority of those with violence-related sports and recreational injuries were injured to the head/neck region (52.2%), of which 24.1% were treated for traumatic brain injuries. Most violent injuries resulted from being pushed or hit (65.6%); the most common sports and recreational activity varied by age: playground (65.2%) for children < or =9 years; bicycling (26.7%) for 10-14-year-olds; basketball (45.3%) for 15-19-year-olds.
Conclusions: National ED surveillance systems can provide useful information pertaining to prevention programs designed to reduce sports and recreational injuries resulting from violent behavior and unintentional causes.