Grant: Foundation Grant

Injuries are not accidents; they are predictable and preventable. Injuries are the leading cause of ill health and mortality in Canadian youth. Sport and recreational (S&R) injuries account for more than 40% of this burden. One in 3 youth seeks medical attention for a S&R related injury each year. Lower extremity injuries comprise most of these injuries. Consequences of S&R injury include reduced physical activity, obesity, osteoarthritis, disability, and economic burden. The goal of my research program, "Surveillance in High Schools to Reduce Injuries and their consequences" (SHRed Injuries), is to promote a healthy and active future for youth through research in injury prevention in S&R, to reduce the public health burden of lower extremity injuries and their consequences. I will aim to 1) Reduce the number of youth lower extremity S&R injuries and associated economic burden through effective prevention programs such as through evaluating strategies such as sporting rules/policy changes, training strategies, and equipment recommendations; and 2) Enable more youth with lower extremity injuries to return safely to health and daily activities by reducing injury consequences and associated economic burden by developing and evaluating prevention strategies to prevent injury consequences. The foundation of my program will include comprehensive injury surveillance that I have developed and validated in youth sport. My research program has influenced best practice and policy through sustainable solutions that have had significant public health impact by reducing the burden of youth S&R injury. My research program will engage youth, parents, coaches, clinicians, sport organizations, educators, and policy makers across health care, education, and public health. The program will target a 25% improvement in decreasing the number of youth S&R injuries and enabling more youth to return safely to health and daily activities by reducing injury consequences and economic burden