Time-Loss and Non-Time-Loss Injuries in Youth Football Players (Original Research) (Report‪)‬

Organized sports are a popular and important form of recreational activity for children. One sport growing in popularity is American football. More than 2.8 million persons over the age of 6 years participate in tackle football each year. (1) Two of the largest youth football organizations, Pop Warner Little Scholars (2) and American Youth Football, (3) boast more than 240000 and 200000 annual participants, respectively. Many other local, regional, and state organizations also exist, increasing the total number of participants at risk of injury. The National Safe Kids Campaign (4) reported that more than 3.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 years are injured while participating in sports each year. Burt and Overpeck (5) estimated that more than 2.5 million emergency room visits each year are the result of sports participation. (5) Of these emergency room visits, 207 400 have been attributed to basketball, 187 800 to football, 116 900 to baseball and softball, 76 200 to soccer, and 21 200 to gymnastics. (4) The Campaign (4) also reported that 28% of youth football players between the ages of 5 and 14 years were hurt while playing their sport. Registry data are useful for considering the incidence of injury and the burden on the health care system, but many injured patients are not seen in medical facilities and do not file insurance claims, the typical sources of these data. Registry data also are limited by the lack of exposure and injury detail.