skip to Main Content

“It takes a whole system of support for young athletes to keep them safe. It’s not just engaged parents, but it’s knowledgeable coaches, it’s doctors, it’s community leaders as well.”

Margaret White, Youth Sports Parent, Alabama Power Foundation
Epidemiologic Research

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and patterns of health conditions within populations of people. Epidemiologic research can produce valuable information about the prevalence and incidence of illness and injury including the risk of acquiring a condition and the effectiveness of preventive interventions.

Professional, collegiate and high school sports governing bodies in the United States all utilize injury surveillance systems to collect and regularly report (internally and/or externally) epidemiologic injury data for various populations of sports participants. Unfortunately, there is no epidemiologic injury surveillance system for youth sports participants in the United States.

The lack of a reliable source of injury data limits the ability to calculate meaningful estimates of youth sports injury rates and hinders the ability to effectively evaluate the impact of injury prevention and health promotion interventions. To meet the need for reliable and actionable data, CoachSafely, the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) and the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) are collaborating to design and implement a National Youth Sports Injury Surveillance System.

HSS Slide 1
Key Components

IRB-approved

User-friendly

Daily participation records

Individual injury reports

Populations defined by sex, competitive level, sport type and age

Back To Top