Emergency Department Visits for Sports- and Recreation-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries Among Children — United States, 2010–2016 | MMWR

Emergency Department Visits for Sports- and Recreation-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries Among Children — United States, 2010–2016 | MMWR



Recreation-Related Traumatic Brain Injury

An estimated 283,000 children seek care in U.S. emergency departments each year for a sports- or recreation-related traumatic brain injury (SRR-TBI), according to an MMWR Report released today. The report, Emergency Department Visits for Sports and Recreation-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries AmongChildren—United States, 2010-2016, also found that:

• Contact sports contributed to nearly half (45%) of the SRR-TBI visits examined.
• Males and children aged 10-14 and 15-17 years were most likely to sustain a SRR-TBI.
• Activities with the highest number of SRR-TBI visits included: football, bicycling, basketball, playground activities, and soccer.

What can be done?

Prevention efforts to reduce the risk for SRR-TBI among children are critical. Promising practices include:

• Limiting player-to-player collisions through rule changes.
• Teaching strategies to reduce opportunities for head impacts.
• Using pre-participation athletic examinations to identify athletes at increased risk for TBI.

Learn More

• CDC HEADS UP campaign
  • Posters for athletes
  • Online trainings
• CDC Pediatric mTBI Guideline
• CDC: National Concussion Surveillance System