The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) has released its third Growing Up in Australia research snapshot for 2021, ‘Adolescent injury’.
The report looks at young Australians’ experiences of injury and found that in the two years prior to being surveyed, 22% of 16 to 17 year olds reported an injury serious enough to cause them to miss at least two days of school work. Over half (57%) of injuries occurred while playing sport.
The snapshot supplements the commonly cited hospital record data on adolescent injury and shows that two in every three injuries are not treated at hospitals. The findings highlight that injury, as well as being the major cause of death in this age group, has significant implications for adolescents’ health. Further information on the context of injuries, as well as an examination of risk factors for sports and non-sports injuries is provided.
The Snapshot Series highlights recent findings from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australia Children (LSAC). LSAC began in 2004 and has followed two cohorts of Australian children ever since, as they grow into adolescents and young adults.
