Descriptive Epidemiology of Game-Related Youth Flag Football Injuries

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Epidemiology
• Pediatric Sports Injuries

Background:

• Flag football is increasingly popular as a safer alternative to tackle football, with a 39% rise in participation over three years.
• Despite increased participation, there is a lack of research on sport-specific injuries and relative risk in youth flag football.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively document the epidemiology of injuries in youth flag football.
• To identify injury rates, risk factors, and common injury types and locations in youth flag football.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted at regional and national youth flag football tournaments.
• 1939 athletes (ages 6-12 years; 1744 boys, 195 girls) were monitored by athletic trainers for sport-related injuries and exposures.
• Injury risks and rates were calculated overall and by sex, with injury characteristics reported.

Main Results:

• A total of 47 injuries were recorded across 1939 athletes and 9228 athlete-exposures (AEs), resulting in an overall injury risk of 2.4% and an injury rate of 5.1 per 1000 AEs.
• Girls exhibited a higher risk of injury compared to boys, with an injury risk ratio of 2.73 and an injury rate ratio of 2.96.
• The most common injury sites were the head/face/neck (31.9%) and ankle/foot (19.1%), with contusions (55.3%) being the most frequent injury type, predominantly caused by direct impact (74.5%).

Conclusions:

• The injury rate in youth flag football is lower than in comparable tackle football studies, but injury patterns (body part, type, mechanism) are similar.
• Given that most injuries result from impact and are contusions, the use of minimal protective equipment or padding could potentially decrease injury incidence.
• Further research into injury prevention strategies tailored to the specific mechanisms observed in youth flag football is warranted.