Head injuries from sports and recreation presenting to emergency departments in Edmonton, Alberta
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Abstract
This thesis investigates head injuries (HIs) occurring in sports and recreation (SR) that presented to emergency departments (EDs) in Edmonton, Alberta, from April 1st, 1997 to March 31st, 2008. There were 4,950 SR HIs identified over the 11 years (5.13 HIs per 1,000 ED injury visits). Individuals less than 18 years old were 3.4 times more likely, and males were 1.25 times more likely to present with a head injury from SR (p < 0.0001). A history of one or two previous SR HIs increased the odds of subsequent HI by 2.62 and 5.94 times, respectively, while children aged 7 – 13 and 14 – 17 were more than four times more likely to sustain a HIs from SR (p < 0.001). The effects of multiple HIs occurring in children participating in SR activities needs to be addressed, due to the chronic neurobehavioral effects of HIs.