The epidemiology of sports-related traumatic brain injuries in the United States: recent developments

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Thurman, D. J.¹; Branche, C. M.²; Sniezek, J. E.¹

The epidemiology of sports-related traumatic brain injuries in the United States: recent developments

J Head Trauma Rehabil. 1998;13(2):1-8

©1998 Aspen Publishers, Inc.

Affiliations

¹Division of Acute Care, Rehabilitation Research, and Disability Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia

²Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia
Abstract

We examined recent population-based data from the National Health Interview Survey, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and state-based traumatic brain injury (TBI) surveillance programs that provide estimates of the overall incidence of sports-related TBI in the United States. Available data indicate that sports-related TBI is an important public health problem because of the large number of people who incur these injuries each year (approximately 300,000), the generally young age of patients at the time of injury (with possible long-term disability), and the potential cumulative effects of repeated injuries. The importance of this problem indicates the need for more effective prevention measures.

The public health approach can guide efforts in injury prevention and control. The steps in this approach are (1) identifying the problem, (2) identifying risk factors, (3) developing and testing interventions, and (4) implementing programs and evaluating outcomes. Each of these steps requires adequate data. This article examines the limitations of current sports-related TBI data and suggests ways to improve data in order to develop more effective injury prevention strategies. The impact of sports-related TBI on the public indicates that this task deserves a high priority.
Links

DOI: 10.1097/00001199-199804000-00003

PubMed: 9575252

WoS: 000072898800003

Ovid: 00001199-199804000-00003

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2008	Rowson S. Impact Biomechanics of the Head and Neck in Football [Master's thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; May 28, 2008.
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2014	Daniel RW II. Evaluation of Football Safety Techniques Utilizing Biomechanical Measurements [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; June 3, 2014.
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2015	Urban JE. Real-World and Population-Based Studies of Head Injury Causation [PhD thesis]. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University; May 2015.