Health & Well-Being: Report details youth sports-related deaths
Millions of children across the country are participating in sports and fitness activities. One of the most alarming statistics stemming from this participation is the fact that 276 youths 19 or younger have died due to their involvement in 14 different sports and fitness activities between 1984 and 1998, according to the Boston-based National Youth Sports Safety Foundation (NYSSF). These activities include: baseball, basketball, boxing, football, gymnastics, horseback riding, ice hockey, martial arts, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball, weight lifting, and wrestling.
To disseminate current information on the number and causes of these deaths, the NYSSF has published Youth Sports Deaths, a report utilizing data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission databases for the age group 0-19, 1984-1998 for 14 sports. The report includes tables of fatalities by: sport, body parts impacted, age, sex, type of activity, and year. Key findings of the report include the following:
• The No. 1 cause of death involved trauma to the head.
• Of those total deaths, 45% occurred in football.
• The number of deaths per year is fairly consistent at approximately 22 a year.
• Four of the five top sports where the most deaths occurred are four of the most popular sports — baseball, football, basketball, and soccer.
Copies of the publication are available from the Foundation for $15.50 each. Contact: NYSSF, Department DR2, 333 Longwood Ave., Suite 202, Boston, MA 02115-5711.
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