Incidence of serious injury and death during sport and recreation activities in Victoria, Australia

Background: Participation in sport and recreation is widely encouraged for general good health and the prevention of some non-communicable diseases. However, injury is a significant barrier to participation, and safety concerns are a factor in the decision to participate. An understanding of the sport/recreation activities associated with serious injury is useful for informing physical activity choices and for setting priorities for the targeting of injury prevention efforts. Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of serious injuries sustained in sport/recreation activities by adults in Victoria, Australia. Methods: The Victorian State Trauma Registry and the National Coroner's Information Service were used to identify and describe sport/recreation related serious injuries, including deaths, occurring during the period July 2001 to June 2003. Age adjusted rates of serious injury and death were calculated using participation figures for each sport and general population data. Results: There were 150 cases of serious injury and 48 deaths. The rates of serious injury and death were 1.8 and 0.6 per 100 000 participants per year respectively. Motor, power boat, and equestrian sports had the highest rates of serious injury. Most deaths were due to drowning. Conclusion: Although the risk of serious injury through sport/recreation participation is low, motor, power boat, and equestrian sports should be priorities for further research into injury prevention. Most sport/ recreation related deaths are due to drowning, highlighting this area for prevention efforts.