http://jama.jamanetwork.com/ en-us Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:46:51 GMT Silverchair editor@jama.jamanetwork.com webmaster@jama.jamanetwork.com http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=195892 Wed, 05 Feb 2003 00:00:00 GMT Marshall SW, Mueller FO, Kirby DP, et al. <span class="paragraphSection">ContextSafety balls and faceguards are widely used in youth baseball, but their effectiveness in reducing injury is unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of the use of faceguards and safety balls and injuries in youth baseball.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsEcological study using a national database of compensated insurance claims maintained by Little League Baseball Incorporated, combined with data on the number of participants in Little League and data from a census of protective equipment usage for youth aged 5 to 18 years participating in Little League Baseball in the United States during 1997-1999.Main Outcome MeasuresRate of injury and injury rate ratio comparing users with nonusers of protective equipment.ResultsA total of 6 744 240 player-seasons of follow-up and 4233 compensated injury claims were available for analysis. The absolute incidence of compensated injury per 100 000 player-seasons was 28.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.76-29.29) for ball-related injury and 2.71 (95% CI, 2.32-3.11) for facial injury. Overall, use of safety balls was associated with a reduced risk of ball-related injury (adjusted rate ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64-0.93). This reduction was essentially due to 1 type of safety ball, known as the reduced-impact ball (adjusted rate ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.91). Use of faceguards reduced the risk of facial injury (adjusted rate ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43-0.98). Metal and plastic guards appeared to be equally effective. Safety balls appeared to be more effective in the minor division (ages 7-12 years) than in the regular division (ages 9-12 years).ConclusionsReduced-impact balls and faceguards were associated with a reduced risk of injury in youth baseball. These findings support increased usage of these items; however, it should be noted that the absolute incidence of injury in youth baseball is low and that these equipment items do not prevent all injuries.</span> 289 5 568 574 10.1001/jama.289.5.568 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=195892