The causes of injuries sustained at fitness facilities presenting to Victorian emergency departments - identifying the main culprits
- Gray, Shannon, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Gray, Shannon , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 2, no. 1 (2015), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: BACKGROUND: Fitness facilities provide an avenue to engage in physical activity, which is widely encouraged to improve health. However, there is risk of injury. This study aimed to identify the specific causes of injuries sustained at fitness facilities and the activity being participated in, to aid in the development of injury prevention strategies. METHODS: Analysis of routinely collected emergency department case-series data were obtained from July 1999 to June 2013. Fitness activity-related injury cases were identified from narratives of injury events, with narrative information recoded into cause of injury and activity at time of injury categories. Recoded data were then analysed. RESULTS: Overall, 2,873 cases were identified that specified the exact cause of injury associated with injuries that occurred at fitness facilities. Injuries due to overexertion were most common overall (36.2% of all cases), as well as the main cause of injuries related to general free weight activities (52.6% of this activity) and group exercise classes (35.9%). Crush injuries due to falling weights were common for all free weight activities. Falls and awkward landings were common causes of injuries during group exercise classes (28.5% and 25.8%, respectively). Trips and falls were common throughout facilities, as well as from cardiovascular equipment more specifically. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed information on the causes of injuries allows the development of injury prevention strategies for fitness facilities and fitness activities. Facilities should implement risk management strategies to reduce the risk of injuries in their clientele, based on the identified major causes of injury in this study.
- Authors: Gray, Shannon , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 2, no. 1 (2015), p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: BACKGROUND: Fitness facilities provide an avenue to engage in physical activity, which is widely encouraged to improve health. However, there is risk of injury. This study aimed to identify the specific causes of injuries sustained at fitness facilities and the activity being participated in, to aid in the development of injury prevention strategies. METHODS: Analysis of routinely collected emergency department case-series data were obtained from July 1999 to June 2013. Fitness activity-related injury cases were identified from narratives of injury events, with narrative information recoded into cause of injury and activity at time of injury categories. Recoded data were then analysed. RESULTS: Overall, 2,873 cases were identified that specified the exact cause of injury associated with injuries that occurred at fitness facilities. Injuries due to overexertion were most common overall (36.2% of all cases), as well as the main cause of injuries related to general free weight activities (52.6% of this activity) and group exercise classes (35.9%). Crush injuries due to falling weights were common for all free weight activities. Falls and awkward landings were common causes of injuries during group exercise classes (28.5% and 25.8%, respectively). Trips and falls were common throughout facilities, as well as from cardiovascular equipment more specifically. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed information on the causes of injuries allows the development of injury prevention strategies for fitness facilities and fitness activities. Facilities should implement risk management strategies to reduce the risk of injuries in their clientele, based on the identified major causes of injury in this study.
Concussion in community Australian football - epidemiological monitoring of the causes and immediate impact on play
- Fortington, Lauren, Twomey, Dara, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Fortington, Lauren , Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 2, no. 1 (2015), p. 1-6
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
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- Description: BACKGROUND: Head injuries, particularly concussion, are a major cause of concern in many sports, particularly the football codes, driving a need to better understand injury mechanisms and potential methods of prevention. The aim of this study was to describe the mechanisms and follow up care of concussion injuries sustained in adult male community Australian football to identify target areas for prevention and management. METHODS: Secondary analysis of injury data collected in a cluster randomised controlled trial in community Australian football across two states of Australia in 2007 and 2008. There were 1564 players from 18 clubs. The main outcome measures were the number and rate of head/neck/face (HNF) injuries and concussion sustained in games. A specific description of the mechanisms of the concussion injuries is presented along with the immediate return-to-play status of concussion cases. RESULTS: 143 HNF injuries were sustained by 132 players. The game HNF injury incidence was 4.9 per 1000 game hours (n = 138; 95 % confidence interval 4.1; 5.7). Just under a quarter (n = 34) of all HNF injuries were recorded as concussion. All concussions occurred during games (none in training), with all but one related to body contact with other players. Overall, 68 % of the concussions were considered within game rules, while 32 % were either outside of the rules or unclear. Most (88 %) players left the field immediately following concussion but 47 % later returned to play in the same game. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention strategies for concussion need to be based on knowledge of the mechanisms of injury. Most concussions in community Australian football occurred through body contact with other players or during tackling. Management of players post-concussion was generally poor with over half of the cases continuing to play in the same game. Therefore, new primary prevention strategies that target body-contact/tackling skills and improved secondary prevention measures relating to compliance with return-to-play protocols would be valuable.
- Authors: Fortington, Lauren , Twomey, Dara , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 2, no. 1 (2015), p. 1-6
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: BACKGROUND: Head injuries, particularly concussion, are a major cause of concern in many sports, particularly the football codes, driving a need to better understand injury mechanisms and potential methods of prevention. The aim of this study was to describe the mechanisms and follow up care of concussion injuries sustained in adult male community Australian football to identify target areas for prevention and management. METHODS: Secondary analysis of injury data collected in a cluster randomised controlled trial in community Australian football across two states of Australia in 2007 and 2008. There were 1564 players from 18 clubs. The main outcome measures were the number and rate of head/neck/face (HNF) injuries and concussion sustained in games. A specific description of the mechanisms of the concussion injuries is presented along with the immediate return-to-play status of concussion cases. RESULTS: 143 HNF injuries were sustained by 132 players. The game HNF injury incidence was 4.9 per 1000 game hours (n = 138; 95 % confidence interval 4.1; 5.7). Just under a quarter (n = 34) of all HNF injuries were recorded as concussion. All concussions occurred during games (none in training), with all but one related to body contact with other players. Overall, 68 % of the concussions were considered within game rules, while 32 % were either outside of the rules or unclear. Most (88 %) players left the field immediately following concussion but 47 % later returned to play in the same game. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention strategies for concussion need to be based on knowledge of the mechanisms of injury. Most concussions in community Australian football occurred through body contact with other players or during tackling. Management of players post-concussion was generally poor with over half of the cases continuing to play in the same game. Therefore, new primary prevention strategies that target body-contact/tackling skills and improved secondary prevention measures relating to compliance with return-to-play protocols would be valuable.
An overview of geospatial methods used in unintentional injury epidemiology
- Singh, Himalaya, Fortington, Lauren, Thompson, Helen, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Singh, Himalaya , Fortington, Lauren , Thompson, Helen , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 3, no. 32 (2016), p. 1-12
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: BACKGROUND: Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability around the world. Injury incidence is often associated with socio-economic and physical environmental factors. The application of geospatial methods has been recognised as important to gain greater understanding of the complex nature of injury and the associated diverse range of geographically-diverse risk factors. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of geospatial methods applied in unintentional injury epidemiological studies. METHODS: Nine electronic databases were searched for papers published in 2000-2015, inclusive. Included were papers reporting unintentional injuries using geospatial methods for one or more categories of spatial epidemiological methods (mapping; clustering/cluster detection; and ecological analysis). Results describe the included injury cause categories, types of data and details relating to the applied geospatial methods. RESULTS: From over 6,000 articles, 67 studies met all inclusion criteria. The major categories of injury data reported with geospatial methods were road traffic (n = 36), falls (n = 11), burns (n = 9), drowning (n = 4), and others (n = 7). Grouped by categories, mapping was the most frequently used method, with 62 (93%) studies applying this approach independently or in conjunction with other geospatial methods. Clustering/cluster detection methods were less common, applied in 27 (40%) studies. Three studies (4%) applied spatial regression methods (one study using a conditional autoregressive model and two studies using geographically weighted regression) to examine the relationship between injury incidence (drowning, road deaths) with aggregated data in relation to explanatory factors (socio-economic and environmental). CONCLUSION: The number of studies using geospatial methods to investigate unintentional injuries has increased over recent years. While the majority of studies have focused on road traffic injuries, other injury cause categories, particularly falls and burns, have also demonstrated the application of these methods. Geospatial investigations of injury have largely been limited to mapping of data to visualise spatial structures. Use of more sophisticated approaches will help to understand a broader range of spatial risk factors, which remain under-explored when using traditional epidemiological approaches.
- Authors: Singh, Himalaya , Fortington, Lauren , Thompson, Helen , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Epidemiology Vol. 3, no. 32 (2016), p. 1-12
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: BACKGROUND: Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability around the world. Injury incidence is often associated with socio-economic and physical environmental factors. The application of geospatial methods has been recognised as important to gain greater understanding of the complex nature of injury and the associated diverse range of geographically-diverse risk factors. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of geospatial methods applied in unintentional injury epidemiological studies. METHODS: Nine electronic databases were searched for papers published in 2000-2015, inclusive. Included were papers reporting unintentional injuries using geospatial methods for one or more categories of spatial epidemiological methods (mapping; clustering/cluster detection; and ecological analysis). Results describe the included injury cause categories, types of data and details relating to the applied geospatial methods. RESULTS: From over 6,000 articles, 67 studies met all inclusion criteria. The major categories of injury data reported with geospatial methods were road traffic (n = 36), falls (n = 11), burns (n = 9), drowning (n = 4), and others (n = 7). Grouped by categories, mapping was the most frequently used method, with 62 (93%) studies applying this approach independently or in conjunction with other geospatial methods. Clustering/cluster detection methods were less common, applied in 27 (40%) studies. Three studies (4%) applied spatial regression methods (one study using a conditional autoregressive model and two studies using geographically weighted regression) to examine the relationship between injury incidence (drowning, road deaths) with aggregated data in relation to explanatory factors (socio-economic and environmental). CONCLUSION: The number of studies using geospatial methods to investigate unintentional injuries has increased over recent years. While the majority of studies have focused on road traffic injuries, other injury cause categories, particularly falls and burns, have also demonstrated the application of these methods. Geospatial investigations of injury have largely been limited to mapping of data to visualise spatial structures. Use of more sophisticated approaches will help to understand a broader range of spatial risk factors, which remain under-explored when using traditional epidemiological approaches.
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