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Study: Safety Balls Reduce Baseball Injuries
Researchers Study Database Of Insurance Claims
POSTED: 4:58 p.m. EST February 4, 2003
Using safety equipment in Little League baseball really does prevent injuries, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that the use of safety baseballs in Little League reduces ball-related injuries by 23 percent, while faceguard use reduces risk of facial injuries by 35 percent.
The findings are published in the Feb. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has estimated that up to one-third of emergency department visits for youth baseball injury could be prevented if safety balls, faceguards, and safety bases were used universally. However, this estimate assumes that these devices are 100 percent effective in preventing injury.
Stephen Marshall led a study on the use of faceguards and safety balls for preventing injury in youth baseball. They analyzed a national database of 4,233 compensated insurance claims maintained by Little League Baseball Inc., combined with data from a census of protective equipment usage for Little League participants in the United States from 1997 to 1999.
A wide variety of safety balls are currently used in youth baseball, according to the study, including tennis balls, rubber balls, cloth balls, and a special type of ball generically known as the reduced impact ball.
The reduced impact ball is designed to look and play like a regular baseball but has greater deformation on impact than traditional balls, lowering the force transmitted to the child.
Protective faceguards are worn when the child is at bat and when running the bases. The faceguards studied mostly consisted of metal mesh guards and clear plastic protective visors.
"Reduced impact balls appeared to be the most effective type of safety ball" with a 28 percent reduction in injuries, the researchers wrote. "There was no compelling evidence of any difference between plastic and metal faceguards."
They said safety balls appeared to be more effective in the minor division (ages 7-12 years) than in the regular division (ages 9-12 years).
Despite the study's findings, the researchers warned that this safety equipment does not prevent all injuries. But they said leagues with limited resources should implement safety balls first, followed by faceguards.
The findings are published in the Feb. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has estimated that up to one-third of emergency department visits for youth baseball injury could be prevented if safety balls, faceguards, and safety bases were used universally. However, this estimate assumes that these devices are 100 percent effective in preventing injury.
Stephen Marshall led a study on the use of faceguards and safety balls for preventing injury in youth baseball. They analyzed a national database of 4,233 compensated insurance claims maintained by Little League Baseball Inc., combined with data from a census of protective equipment usage for Little League participants in the United States from 1997 to 1999.
A wide variety of safety balls are currently used in youth baseball, according to the study, including tennis balls, rubber balls, cloth balls, and a special type of ball generically known as the reduced impact ball.
The reduced impact ball is designed to look and play like a regular baseball but has greater deformation on impact than traditional balls, lowering the force transmitted to the child.
Protective faceguards are worn when the child is at bat and when running the bases. The faceguards studied mostly consisted of metal mesh guards and clear plastic protective visors.
"Reduced impact balls appeared to be the most effective type of safety ball" with a 28 percent reduction in injuries, the researchers wrote. "There was no compelling evidence of any difference between plastic and metal faceguards."
They said safety balls appeared to be more effective in the minor division (ages 7-12 years) than in the regular division (ages 9-12 years).
Despite the study's findings, the researchers warned that this safety equipment does not prevent all injuries. But they said leagues with limited resources should implement safety balls first, followed by faceguards.
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- May 28, 2002: Are Soft Baseballs Safest For Kids?
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