Impact of organized sports on risk of bone fracture among adolescents: ABCD - growth study

Abstract

Introduction: Sports participation constitutes the most common manifestation of physical activity among adolescents. In fact, sports participation can promote cardiovascular, metabolic and bone benefits during pediatric ages. Regarding bone tissue, the osteogenic effect attributed to sport participation is based on the exposition of the bone matrix to mechanical loading creates a complicated situation, mainly because excessive mechanical load can cause bone injuries. Finally, public health campaigns are developed to promote sports participation among pediatric groups targeting health promotion, and the economic burden of injuries related to sports participation should be considered as well. Objective: To identify the impact of participation in organized sports on the occurrence of bone fractures among adolescents, taking into account the role of biological maturation and inflammation on this phenomenon, as well as to estimate the direct costs related to bone fracture in these adolescents. Methods: 12-months cohort study. The sample will be composed of at least 233 adolescents, age ranging from 12 to 17 years old. The occurrence of stress fracture and health care costs will be assessed monthly during the 12 months, while sport participation will be stratified as "no impact", "low impact" and "high impact". Body composition (bone density, body fatness and muscle mass) will be estimate by densitometry scanner and inflammation through blood test (12 hours fasting). Biological maturation will be estimated using anthropometric data. As potential confounders we will consider age, sex, resistance training, body composition variables and biological maturation. Expected findings: This research project aims to highlight the impact of biological maturation and inflammation on pediatric injuries related to sports participation, as well as to identify the burden of health care costs related to pediatric injuries. (AU)