Epidemiology of skateboarding-related injuries sustained by children and adolescents 5-19 years of age and treated in US emergency departments: 1990 through 2008

The goal was to examine the patterns and trends of skateboarding-related injuries sustained by children and adolescents in the United States. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for children and adolescents 5-19 years of age treated in emergency departments for injuries associated with skateboards from 1990 through 2008. An estimated 1 226 868 children/adolescents (95 % CI: 948 733-1 505 003) were treated in emergency departments for skateboarding-related injuries from 1990 through 2008, an average of 64,572 cases per year. From 1990 through 1994, the annual rate of injuries per 10,000 children/adolescents significantly decreased overall and for males (overall: 72.9 %, P = 0.014; males: 73.9 %, P = 0.011; females: 63.6 %, P = 0.062). From 1994 to 2008, annual rates of injuries per 10,000 children/adolescents significantly increased overall and for both males and females (overall: 378.9 %, P