OBJECTIVETo understand the trend and characteristics of sports and recreation related injuries reported from National Injury Surveillance System (NISS) to provide basis for corresponding prevention strategies and decision-making.

METHODSDescriptive analysis was applied to display the overall trend, general information, injury event and clinical characteristics of sports and recreation related injuries from 2009 to 2013.

RESULTSThe proportion of sports and recreation related injuries among all injuries increased from 2009 to 2013, with an annual increase exceeding 45% (46.21%, 47.32%, 48.14%, 52.00%, 53.65%, respectively). Sports and recreation related injuries mainly involved males, with 15-29 age groups, particularly in summer and autumn. Sports and recreation related injuries mostly occurred at home, with annual rates of proportion as 33.07%, 34.16%, 32.98%, 34.57 and 36.22%, mostly caused by falls (41.19%, 41.64%, 44.70%, 47.41%, 47.96%). Contusion and abrasion were the leading types of injuries (43.49%, 44.56%, 45.14%, 45.02%, 45.62%) with the serious leading types as fracture, concussion/cerebral contusion or laceration, and sharp force injury/bite/open wounds. Head was the part mainly involved (31.30%, 32.48%, 31.89%, 30.88%, 29.44%) in injuries. Most sports and recreation related injuries were minor and most of the patients headed home after treatment.

CONCLUSIONSports and recreation related injury appeared a growing public health problem in China. Children and the elderly should be the target groups for intervention. Falls prevention in sports and the use of protection gears should be the focus countermeasures for prevention.