Injury and illness epidemiology at a summer sport-camp program, 2008 through 2011.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Epidemiology
• Pediatric Sports Health

Background:

• University summer sports camps often utilize athletic trainers.
• Limited epidemiologic data exists on sport camp participant injuries and illnesses.
• This gap hinders evidence-based clinical guidance for camp healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the injury and illness landscape for youth participants in a university-sponsored summer sports camp program.
• To analyze data over a 4-year period to identify trends and inform clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted at a Division I university's summer sports camp program.
• Data from 44,499 participants (ages 10-17) across 28 sports were retrospectively collected from injury/illness logs.
• Injury and illness rates were calculated per 10,000 participant-days, with analyses focusing on condition types and body regions.

Main Results:

• A total of 4,949 injuries and illnesses were recorded, with an overall rate of 1 per 10,000 participant-days.
• Participants in single-sex camps had significantly lower injury/illness rates compared to coeducational camps (RR=0.49 and RR=0.47).
• The lower extremity was the most frequently injured region (27.9%), and dermatologic conditions were the most common (37.1%).

Conclusions:

• Observed differences in injury/illness rates across sports and between sexes indicate varying healthcare requirements for camp attendees.
• Findings support the need for tailored injury prevention strategies and staffing based on specific camp demographics and activities.
• This research provides crucial data for evidence-based clinical decision-making in university summer sports camp settings.