In the first study of its kind, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have compiled national estimates of emergency room injuries resulting from outdoor recreation. Every year in the U.S. tens of millions of people participate in activities that range from boating and bobsledding to tobogganing and water-skiing. Predictably, teenagers get hurt the most, and legs and arms bear the brunt of the punishment.
ESTIMATED ANNUAL INJURIES: 212,708
NUMBER INJURED PER 100,000 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE:
Male: 99.9
Female: 45.1
NUMBER INJURED PER 100,000 WHO ARE:
0 to 9 years old: 31.9
10 to 14: 187.1
15 to 19: 214
20 to 24: 121.1
NUMBER INJURED PER 100,000 WHO ARE:
Snowboarding: 18.3
Sledding: 7.7
Hiking: 4.6
NUMBER INJURED PER 100,000 WHO HURT THEIR:
Leg: 19.4
Arm: 18
Head/neck: 16.8
Upper trunk: 12
SOURCE: Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, June 2008
