Injury fatalities in Australian sport: lessons from cases in the National Coronial Information System

Quantifying adverse outcomes of sport participation is critical if we are to address risk and continue to promote safe physical activity. This study addresses the tip of the iceberg in sports injury - fatalities. We aimed to identify the number and trends for fatal injuries in Australian sport. This case-series draws on data from closed cases in the Australian National Coronial Information System. A search strategy was developed to include all unintentional deaths with an external cause, where the Level One Activity code was “sport and exercise during leisure time”. Drowning and transport related cases (e.g. cycling) were excluded. Descriptive analyses are presented (number and %). The injury incidence rate (IIR) was computed for each State/Territory and a negative binomial regression model used to assess changes in deaths over time. There were 1010 unintentional injury deaths included. Most cases were males (85.2%), with the largest proportion aged 15 to 24 years (24.2%). The IIR varied from a high in 2001 at 0.49/100,000 population (95%CI: 0.34; 0.59) to a low of 0.17/100,000 people (95%CI: 0.12; 0.22) in 2014. There was a significant reduction (5% annually) in deaths from 2001 to 2015. This study presents new knowledge on the scope of fatal injuries in Australian sport, providing an important benchmark for future prevention-oriented work. Although the rate appears to be decreasing, there is still a concerning number of fatalities from injuries sustained in sport.