Diving-related injuries in children treated in US emergency departments

Objective: To comprehensively examine diving-related injuries in the United States among children and adolescents < 20 years of age.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of diving-related injuries using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), taking into account its complex sampling scheme to make national diving-related injury estimates.

Results: An estimated 111,427 patients (95% CI: 93,733-129,121) aged 19 years and younger were treated in US EDs for diving-related injuries from 1990-2006 (average injury rate =8.4 per 100,000 pop. per year). Patients 10-14 years old comprised the largest group (36.3%) of injured divers. Injuries to the head/neck (38.2%) and face (21.7%) were the most common, with the most frequent diagnoses being lacerations (33.9%) and soft tissue injuries (24.3%). Children <10 years old had increased odds of sustaining a laceration (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.5-4.2), while 10-19 year-olds had increased odds of sustaining a fracture (OR: 4.1; 95% CI: 2.6–6.5). Collision with a diving board/platform was the leading cause of injuries (43.9%), and the odds of injury due to contact with a diving board/platform dramatically increased if performing a flip/handstand (OR: 9.2; 95% CI: 6.1-13.8) or a backward dive (OR: 25.3; 95% CI: 14.0-45.8).

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine recreational and competitive diving-related injuries among children and adolescents using a nationally representative sample. These results can help inform pediatricians, parents, coaches, and trainers regarding injuries seen during recreational and competitive diving and can help guide future prevention efforts.