Injury Prevalence and Associated Activity-Related Factors Among Children and Adolescents in Ireland

To promote long-term participation in exercise, injury prevention strategies are imperative. To be effective, strategies must be specific to the population they are being implemented in, making epidemiological data for the target population essential. The aim of this study is to identify the injury prevalence of youth in Ireland. A secondary aim is to examine which activity- and lifestyle-related factors are associated with increased injury prevalence.

Youths aged 10-18 years from Ireland completed a cross-sectional survey. Questions included injury prevalence, location, and severity in the previous year. Demographic information and activity levels were captured alongside screen time, sedentary time, and physical activity enjoyment scores. Data analysis was conducted using independent t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Chi-square analysis tests were used to identify differences between expected and observed frequencies.

A total of 6650 participants completed the survey; 44.7% reported an injury in the previous year. Over half of reported injuries were in the lower limb (51.7%). Males reported more injuries compared with females (P < .001, d = 0.75). There was no significant difference in moderate to vigorous physical activity levels between those who reported an injury and those who did not (P = .60, d = 0.06). Participants who reported an injury spent significantly less time on screens (P = .005, d = 0.04) and scored significantly higher in their physical activity enjoyment score compared with their uninjured counterparts (P < .001, d = 0.14).

Results show that musculoskeletal injuries are a significant problem for youth across Ireland, highlighting the need for targeted injury prevention strategies in this population and providing key information for their development.