title: Acceptability of baseball face guards and reduction of oculofacial injury in receptive youth league players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relative injury reduction effect and acceptability of face guards on batter's helmets.
  
  
  METHODS
  A non-randomized prospective cohort study among 238 youth league baseball teams in Central and Southern Indiana during the 1997 season. Coaches, parents, and players were asked to respond to pre-season and post-season questionnaires. Approximately one half of the teams were supplied with face guard helmets (intervention); all others used this protection at their discretion (comparison).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents, players, and coaches on the intervention teams reported a reduction in the incidence of oculofacial injuries compared with comparison team respondents (p=0.04). There was no reported adverse effect of face guard use on player performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Helmet face guards should be required for batters to prevent facial injuries in baseball.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University Medical School, Indianapolis 46202, USA. rdanis@iupui.edu
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Danis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001484:Baseball / Q000293:injuries* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005135:Eye Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007196:Indiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D009064:Mouth Protectors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires