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Participation in high school sports helps promote a physically active lifestyle. High school sports participation has grown from an estimated 4 million participants during the 1971--72 school year to an estimated 7.2 million in 2005-06. However, despite the documented health benefits of increased physical activity (e.g., weight management, improved self-esteem, and increased strength, endurance, and flexibility, those who participate in athletics are at risk for sports-related injuries. High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations annually.
During the 2005--06 school year, researchers at a children's hospital in Ohio used an Internet-based data-collection tool to pilot an injury surveillance system among athletes from a representative national sample of U.S. high schools. Their report indicated that participation in high school sports resulted in an estimated 1.4 million injuries at a rate of 2.4 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures (i.e., practices or competitions). Boys football was the sport most likely to result in an injury (4.36 incidents per 1,000 practices or competitions), with a remarkably high rate of 12 injuries per 1,000 games. Football is followed by boys wrestling and soccer, girls soccer and basketball, boys basketball, girls volleyball, boys baseball, and girls softball.
Source: “Sports-Related Injuries Among High School Athletes --- United States, 2005--06 School Year,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 28, 2006.
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