Injuries Among High School Football Players — Nebraska, Fall 2013

BACKGROUND: An estimated 25% of Nebraska male high school students play football and are at risk for injury, long-term disability, or death. In 2011, Nebraska passed the “Concussion Awareness Act,” to decrease concussions and limit morbidity among HS athletes. However, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NEDHHS) has no system for collecting data on concussions or other high school football-related injuries. We piloted a method of estimating injury rates among Nebraska HS football players.

METHODS:  During September–November 2013, NEDHHS requested representatives (athletic trainers, coaches, school nurses, or administrators) of all 284 high schools with football teams complete a weekly Internet-based survey to report athletes who suffered a concussion or fracture, had an injury requiring medical attention and resulting in the loss of ≥ 1 day’s participation, or if no reportable injuries had occurred. Data were collected regarding number of participants, injury setting (game or practice), injury type, and severity. Injury rates were calculated for these elements.

RESULTS:  Forty-nine (17.3%) team representatives completed surveys during the study period. Among 2,220 players, 309 (13.9%) injuries were reported. The majority of injuries (206; 66.7%) occurred during games. The most commonly reported injuries were concussions (108; 35%), sprains (59; 19.1%), knee injuries (43; 13.9%), fractures (29; 9.4%), and contusions (15; 4.9%). Of the 309 injuries, 190 (61.5%) athletes required a physician’s care; 10 (3.2%) were hospitalized; 16 (5.2%) required surgery; and 35 (11.3%) might need surgery.

CONCLUSIONS:  Concussions affected 4.9% of Nebraska high school football players, comprising 35% of all reported injuries. Our survey proved effective for estimating high school football injury rates; its ongoing use and expansion can provide valuable data not available elsewhere for guiding prevention strategies.