Studies conducting quantitative surveys in school-aged children and adolescents help identify sports-related risk factors for acute and overuse injuries are scarce. This study aimed to quantify the risk factors for sports-related injury in school-aged children and adolescents by school categories. University students (n = 484) retrospectively recalled their sports experiences and related injuries in a questionnaire according to the following school categories: lower elementary school (LE), upper elementary school (UE), junior high school (JH), and high school (H). Both sports-related acute and overuse injuries were recorded. After adjusting various covariates, weekly hours in sports were identified as a significant risk factor in LE and UE. The interaction of weekly hours in sports and sports specialization was significant in LE and UE, suggesting that early specialization would be a risk factor in lower school categories. In JH and H, female sex, high-level competition, and injury experienced in a previous school category were significantly related to sports-related injuries. In conclusion, weekly hours in sports, high-level competitions, previous injury experience, and sex were confirmed as risk factors in specific school categories. Most identified risk factors are modifiable, suggesting that sports-related injuries can be prevented in school-aged children and adolescents.
Keywords: Bukatsu; Japan; extracurricular activities; injury epidemiology; school sports.