Epidemiological Assessment of Sport-Related Middle School Injuries in an Urban County of Kentucky

Background/Purpose.  Participation of youth in organized sport continues to increase, yet very little research has been done regarding interscholastic athletics in middle schools.  This may in part be due to the lack of injury surveillance systems in these settings. Subsequently the need for injury prevention services is relatively unknown.  For that reason, the purpose of this study was to assess and compare the incidence of injuries occurring in interscholastic athletics in middle school and high school settings of an urban county in Kentucky.

Methods. Injury data and athlete exposures were collected from 1 high school and 3 middle schools. Data were specific to football, soccer, volleyball, and cheerleading. Injuries were defined as any physical ailment caused by athletic participation that required medical assessment and/or days missed from athletic activity. Exposures were estimated to represent one athlete participating in one practice or game.  Injury rates were calculated per 1000 exposures.

Results/Outcomes. A total of 129 injuries occurred between both school settings, representing an injury rate of 4.7. The overall injury rate for middle school and high school athletes was 4.9 and 4.6, respectively. Although the rate of injury among middle school athletes was higher, the difference was not statistically significant.  

 Conclusions. The results of this research indicate that the burden of injury in the middle school setting is comparable to the high school setting.  Subsequently, the need for injury prevention and clinical services, such as those provided by an athletic trainer, is likely similar between the two settings.