Effectiveness of a school-based physical activity injury prevention program: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric injury prevention
• Sports medicine
• Public health interventions

Background:

• Physical activity is crucial for child development but carries a risk of injury.
• Effective prevention strategies are needed to mitigate injuries during sports and recreation.
• School-based programs offer a unique setting to implement injury prevention initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based injury prevention program.
• To assess the impact on the incidence and severity of physical activity-related injuries in primary school children.
• To identify potential effect modifiers, such as physical activity levels.

Main Methods:

• Cluster randomized controlled trial involving 40 Dutch primary schools and 2210 children (aged 10-12 years).
• Intervention group received a targeted physical activity injury prevention program; control group received the regular curriculum.
• Injuries were tracked per 1000 hours of physical activity participation, analyzing incidence and severity.

Main Results:

• The intervention demonstrated a significant reduction in sports club injury incidence (HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.07-0.75).
• A substantial reduction in total and leisure time injuries was observed, especially in less physically active children.
• While overall effects were not statistically significant, subgroup analysis revealed a pronounced positive impact of the intervention on injury reduction in lower activity groups.

Conclusions:

• The school-based injury prevention program is effective in reducing physical activity injuries, particularly in less active children.
• The program shows promise as a public health intervention for enhancing child safety during physical activities.
• Further large-scale research is recommended to validate these findings and explore broader implementation.