Nearly 25 percent of childhood injuries in the US occur in the school environment, yet few schools have explicit injury prevention programmes. This book looks at how and why students are injured, and provides the necessary guidelines needed to create and implement injury prevention activities.

Child injuries are largely absent from child survival initiatives presently on the global agenda. Through this report, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and many partners have set out to elevate child injury to a priority for the global public health and development communities. It should be seen as a complement to the UN Secretary-General's study on violence against children released in late 2006 (that report addressed violence-related or intentional injuries). Both reports suggest that child injury and violence prevention programs need to be integrated into child survival and other broad strategies focused on improving the lives of children. Evidence demonstrates the dramatic successes in child injury prevention in countries which have made a concerted effort. These results make a case for increasing investments in human resources and institutional capacities. Implementing proven interventions could save more than a thousand children's lives a day.--p. vii.

This book presents the incidence of sports-related injuries, the types of injuries specific to particular sports, and the importance of factors such as age and gender. Possible injury mechanisms and risk factors are presented based on an analysis involving recent scientific findings. A variety of sports are included to allow the reader to better generalize the results as well as to apply appropriate procedures to specific sports. The authors have emphasized basic scientific findings to help the reader gain a broad knowledge of sports injuries. The potential audience includes medical doctors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, coaches and interested parents. This book is expected to play a prominent role in the construction of training programs for both healthy and injured players. The focus on junior athletes will aid in their education, injury prevention and increased performance. It will also benefit instructors at the junior and senior high school levels. The book is composed of seven parts. In the beginning part, current situations and the general characteristics of sports-related injuries are outlined on the basis of an investigation utilizing statistical data involving a large number of populations. In the following parts, detailed information on the injuries in terms of the types of sports activities, body sites, symptoms and the relationships among these factors are discussed. Part 2, for example, deals with topics on concussion and severe head–neck injuries which occur frequently in rugby and judo. In Parts 3 and 4, as one of the major sports-related injuries, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are discussed. Beginning with the underlying mechanisms as assessed by using the latest measuring techniques, characteristic features of their occurrence are described. Further, Part 4 deals with topics on post-operative (ACL reconstruction) aspects of ACL injuries, especially those related to muscle functions and tendon regeneration in the hamstring muscles. Part 5 deals with muscle strain and focuses particularly on those occurring in the hamstring muscles, as this muscle group is known, as one of the most frequent sites of muscle strain. In Part 6, disorders related to the ankle and foot are introduced. Finally, Part 7 provides information on lower back disorders. Included are detailed mechanisms of their incidence, epidemiology and implications for their prevention.

In the past decade, few subjects at the intersection of medicine and sports have generated as much public interest as sports-related concussions - especially among youth. Despite growing awareness of sports-related concussions and campaigns to educate athletes, coaches, physicians, and parents of young athletes about concussion recognition and management, confusion and controversy persist in many areas. Currently, diagnosis is based primarily on the symptoms reported by the individual rather than on objective diagnostic markers, and there is little empirical evidence for the optimal degree and duration of physical rest needed to promote recovery or the best timing and approach for returning to full physical activity. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture reviews the science of sports-related concussions in youth from elementary school through young adulthood, as well as in military personnel and their dependents. This report recommends actions that can be taken by a range of audiences - including research funding agencies, legislatures, state and school superintendents and athletic directors, military organizations, and equipment manufacturers, as well as youth who participate in sports and their parents - to improve what is known about concussions and to reduce their occurrence. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth finds that while some studies provide useful information, much remains unknown about the extent of concussions in youth; how to diagnose, manage, and prevent concussions; and the short- and long-term consequences of concussions as well as repetitive head impacts that do not result in concussion symptoms. The culture of sports negatively influences athletes' self-reporting of concussion symptoms and their adherence to return-to-play guidance. Athletes, their teammates, and, in some cases, coaches and parents may not fully appreciate the health threats posed by concussions. Similarly, military recruits are immersed in a culture that includes devotion to duty and service before self, and the critical nature of concussions may often go unheeded. According to Sports-Related Concussions in Youth, if the youth sports community can adopt the belief that concussions are serious injuries and emphasize care for players with concussions until they are fully recovered, then the culture in which these athletes perform and compete will become much safer. Improving understanding of the extent, causes, effects, and prevention of sports-related concussions is vitally important for the health and well-being of youth athletes. The findings and recommendations in this report set a direction for research to reach this goal.

Concluding a two-year review and revision process supported by the American Cancer Society and conducted by an expert panel of health education professionals, this second edition of the National Health Education Standards is the foremost reference in establishing, promoting, and supporting health-enhancing behaviors for students in all grade levels. These guidelines and standards provide a framework for teachers, administrators, and policy makers in designing or selecting curricula, allocating instructional resources, and assessing student achievement and progress; provide students, families, and communities with concrete expectations for health education; and advocate for quality health education in schools, including primary cancer prevention for children and youth.

Prevention, Policy, and Public Health provides a basic foundation for students, professionals, and researchers to be more effective in the policy arena. It offers information on the dynamics of the policymaking process, theoretical frameworks, analysis, and policy applications. It also offers coverage of advocacy and communication, the two most integral aspects of shaping policies for public health.

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among people under age 35 in the United States. Despite great strides in injury prevention over the decades, injuries result in 150,000 deaths, 2.6 million hospitalizations, and 36 million visits to the emergency room each year. Reducing the Burden of Injury describes the cost and magnitude of the injury problem in America and looks critically at the current response by the public and private sectors, including: Data and surveillance needs. Research priorities. Trauma care systems development. Infrastructure support, including training for injury professionals. Firearm safety. Coordination among federal agencies. The authors define the field of injury and establish boundaries for the field regarding intentional injuries. This book highlights the crosscutting nature of the injury field, identifies opportunities to leverage resources and expertise of the numerous parties involved, and discusses issues regarding leadership at the federal level.