Sports participation decreases the incidence of traumatic, nonsports-related fractures among adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effects of different sports on the incidence of traumatic fractures (TF; sport-related fractures and those occurring in daily activities) among adolescents during the 9-month follow-up period. Methods: The adolescents were contacted in 11 different locations (3 public/private schools and 8 sports clubs), and the final sample was divided into 3 groups: control (n = 121), swimming (n = 51), and impact sports (n = 142). The incidence of TF was calculated by considering the exposure to sports (TF/1000 h). Results: In the overall sample, the incidence of TF was 1.29 TF/1000 hours of sports exposure, while the incidence of sport-related TF was 0.39 TF/1000 hours of sports exposure. Adolescents engaged in sports (P = .004), independently of type (P = .001), for 3 or more days per week (P = .004) and more than 60 minutes per day (P = .001) had lower incidence of TF. Adolescents engaged in more than 300 minutes per week of sport (0.17 TF/1000 h) had lower incidence than those who did not (2.06 TF/1000 h [P = .001]). A similar finding was observed for sport-related TF (≥300 min/wk: 0.08 TF/ 1000 h vs 300 min/wk: 0.615 TF/1000 h [P = .02]). Conclusion: Adolescents engaged in sports showed a lower incidence of TF than nonengaged adolescents.