title: Value of wearing head protection gear while playing hurling.
abstract: One of the three national games of Ireland, hurling is a contact team sport (15 a side) played with a metre long ash stick and a small hard leather ball. Over a 12 month period, 413 players were treated for hurling-related injuries at Cork Regional Hospital. While hand and facial trauma predominate, the proportion between the two sites has changed substantially from previous reports with a reduction in the level of facial injuries. The wearing of a helmet, and optionally a supplementary faceguard, is seen to have contributed to this trend. Despite this welcome reduction of facial injuries, a certain resistance to the use of protective headgear is evident, particularly among older players.
authors.affiliation: Statistics Laboratory, University College, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dardouri
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Condon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety