School type, stress and sport-related injuries in middle school students in central Taiwan

Abstract

This study was to examine sports injuries in middle school students, and to identify potential factors associated with sports injuries in this population (aged between 12 and 15 years). Sports injuries were measured by self-reported questionnaires during 1995 and 1996 among middle school students in Yun-lin, a county in central Taiwan. A total of 13,764 students responded, accounting for a 86% return rate. Among those who responded 10,893 sports injuries were reported in a 2-year period, giving an injury rate of 532.8/1000 person-year. Male students were approximately three times more likely than female students to experience sports injuries. Students in private schools were at higher risk of sports injuries than in public schools (odds ratio, OR=1.3). Levels of personal stress (OR= 1.5 and 1.2 for having “three or more” and “one or two” stressful life events relative to having no stressful event), higher parental education (OR=1.5 and 1.2 for students whose parents have “college or higher education level” and “senior-high or middle school education” relative to “elementary school or below”), and levels of exercise (OR=1.6 for exercise frequently comparing to rarely exercise) were positively associated with the occurrence of sports injury. With these above findings, we suggest: (1) providing prevention program for sport-related injuries firstly in private schools of this population; and (2) further studies being conducting to confirm the association between exercise level, stress and parental education and the occurrence of sports injuries.