Epidemiology of Pediatric and Adolescent Injury in Adventure and Extreme Sports

During the last two decades there has been a marked increase in both the popularity and participation in adventure and extreme sports (AES). This rapid increase in participation is driven primarily by the youth culture. This chapter provides an epidemiologic perspective of injury in pediatric and adolescent AES. Few studies provided specific information on the incidence and distribution of AES injury among children and adolescents. Most of the available limited data on AES injuries in this population are available in aggregate form, or combined across age groups and gender. Given the life-changing impact injury can have in adventure and extreme sports, the current paucity of well-designed epidemiological studies specifically targeting children and adolescents in AES is a concern, but perhaps understandable given the nature of these sports and the fact that so many of them are new and recently evolved. Most AES lack quality descriptive data, which provides the essential building block for analytical epidemiological studies. Few studies address injury risk factors and even fewer evaluate preventive measures. The importance of denominator-based longitudinal data collection in obtaining an accurate picture of injury risk and severity and as a basis for testing risk factors and evaluating preventive measures cannot be overemphasized.