Skiing- and Snowboarding-Related Injuries Treated in U.S. Emergency Departments, 2002

摘要

Each year in the United States, an estimated 13 million people participate in recreational skiing or snowboard-ing activities, accounting for about 57 million visits to ski areas.1 During the past two decades, the characteristics of skiers and snowboarders in the United States have changed dramatically. According to the Sports Participation Study conducted in 2003 by the National Sporting Goods Association,1 the total number of snowboarders in the United States has grown from 1.3 million in 1988 to 5.6 million in 2002, an increase of 331%, while during the same time period, the number of skiers has decreased 40% from 12.4 million to 7.4 million.