Incidence of sporting injury in New Zealand youths aged 6-15 years.

OBJECTIVE To document the incidence of injury in 6-15 year olds playing rugby union, rugby league, and netball, and to identify the common mechanisms, sites, severity, and time of injury. METHODS Cross sectional data were collected by trained observers who watched 258 games of rugby union, netball, and rugby league over a four week period. The condition of the injured participants was monitored until recovery. RESULTS In total, 5174 players were observed and an injury rate of 18 per 1000 player hours was calculated. Of all observed injuries, 29% required some form of medical treatment. A significant difference (p<0.05) in the distribution of injury over the four quarters of the games was recorded, most occurring in the first three quarters. In total, 81% of the injuries were classified as contact injuries, and these mainly occurred through direct contact with the opposition. Of all observed injuries, 27% were recurrent. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of injury in rugby union, netball, and rugby league is low for children aged between 6 and 15 years relative to adult rates.