HEADS UP to Brain Injury Awareness | HEADS UP | CDC Injury Center

HEADS UP to Brain Injury Awareness | HEADS UP | CDC Injury Center

Other key findings from the report:

• Between 2001 and 2018, there were over 3.8 million ED visits for sports- and recreation-related TBIs among children under 18 years old. Contact sports accounted for approximately 41% of these ED visits.
• Football had the highest rate of TBI ED visits in 2018 for contact sports, with basketball and soccer following. TBI ED visits from basketball and soccer did not show a significant decline over the study period.
• The rate of contact sports-related TBIs declined among both sexes, with a 31% decrease among males from 2012 to 2018 and a 38% decrease among females from 2014 to 2018.
• The rate of ED visits from TBIs in non-contact sports (for example, playground activities and bicycling) declined 24% from 2011 to 2018.

Decreased participation in tackle football, implementation of contact limitations, and use of tackling techniques to reduce concussions are likely factors contributing to the decline in the rate of football-related TBI visits. These findings highlight the continued need to expand efforts to prevent football-related TBIs among children and call attention to the need to identify effective prevention strategies for other contact sports.

Additional Information:

• Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Contact Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries Among Children—United States, 2001-2018
• CDC’s HEADS UP initiative to improve prevention, recognition, and response to concussion and other serious brain injuries.
• CDC’s Traumatic Brain Injury website featuring data, reports, and fact sheets.
• CDC’s Mild Pediatric TBI Guideline to help healthcare providers take action to improve the health of their patients.