title: The economic burden of time-loss injuries to youth players participating in week-long rugby union tournaments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rugby Union ("rugby") is a popular sport with high injury risk. Burden of injury is described by the incidence and severity of injury. However reports have ignored the monetary cost of injuries. Therefore the aim of this study was to describe the monetary cost associated with youth rugby injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive study quantified medical treatments of injured players at the South African Rugby Union Youth tournaments in 2011/2012 and the days of work parents missed as a result of the injuries. A health insurer used these data to calculate associated costs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Legal guardians of the 421 injured players were contacted telephonically on a weekly basis until they returned to play. Treatments costs were estimated in South African Rands based on 2013 insurance rates and converted to US$ using purchasing power parities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 3652 players, 2% (n=71) sought medical care after the tournament. For these players, average treatment costs were high (US$731 per player, 95% CI: US$425-US$1096), with fractures being the most expensive type of injury. Players with medical insurance had higher costs (US$937, 95% CI: US$486-US$1500) than those without (US$220, 95% CI: US$145-US$302).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a minority of players sought follow-up treatment after the tournaments, the cost of these injuries was high. Players without medical insurance having lower costs may indicate that these players did not receive adequate treatment for their injuries. Injury prevention efforts should consider injuries with high costs and the treatment of players without medical insurance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: jamesbrown06@gmail.com.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: South African Rugby Union (SARU), Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Viljoen
authors.affiliation: UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mike I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: South African Rugby Union (SARU), Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Clint
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Readhead
authors.affiliation: UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Chelsea
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Mechelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verhagen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000191:economics; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000191:economics; D005538:Football / Q000191:economics* / Q000293:injuries*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000191:economics; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000191:economics; D013019:South Africa; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000293:injuries; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics
keywords: Football; Football/economics; Football/economics/cost analysis; Football/injuries (MeSH terms)