The frequency of occurrence and risk factors for injuries to primary and junior high schools students from the Podkarpackie Province during Physical Education classes
Abstract
Introduction: The classes of Physical Education include a range of activities aimed at comprehensive physical development of human body. However, there is no doubt that exercises at Physical Education (PE) are associated with the risk of injury or damage to the body. The threat of loss of health in school environment is currently becoming a significant social issue. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to the safety of young people both in course of planning of PE classes and the choice of methods and forms of activity.
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of injuries in primary and secondary schools students during PE classes in the Podkarpackie Province and the assessment of correlation between the incidence of sports injuries among children and adolescents and selected factors.
Material and methods: 301 primary and secondary school students from the Podkarpackie Province were included in the study. The study group comprised of 151 boys and 150 girls. Age of the participants ranged from 9 to 16 years of age (mean age 12.58 years). The author’s questionnaire was used to carry out the research. The survey was standardized, anonymous and consisted of 29 questions.
Results: The results of the study showed that out of the total of 301 students surveyed, more than a half – 158 (52.5%) suffered occasionally from an injury at PE lessons. The analysis in terms of injury type revealed that contusions were predominant (53.16%), the lower limbs were the most frequently affected (55,06%). There was a highly significant relationship between the frequency of injuries and the age of students (p <0.001), living environment (p <0.001) as well as a kind of after-school physical activity (p <0.05).
Conclusions: Injuries at PE classes are common among students in the Podkarpackie Province. There is a significant relationship between the age, living environment, afterschool physical activity and the incidence of injury during physical education classes.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited