title: Trends and demographic characteristics of physical fighting and fighting-related injuries among Canadian youth, 1993-2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical fighting is a behaviour of concern that puts adolescents at increased risk for injury. The study objectives were to: 1) describe current patterns of physical fighting and fighting-related injury among Canadian adolescents, and 2) investigate potential trends in fighting and fighting-related injuries during the period 1993-2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Canadian data from cycles 2-6 (1993-2010) of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study were used, giving cross-sections for 61,465 grade 6-10 students. Prevalence estimates for physical fighting and fighting-related injury were calculated and described by sex, grade and subjective social status. A trend analysis was conducted across time cycles overall and within subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant increase over time for physical fights was observed overall (ptrend = 0.015) and within female, grade 7-8, and high status subgroups, although further time points are necessary to determine this pattern with certainty. There was a significant trend increase over time for fighting-related injury overall and within all subgroups (ptrend &lt; 0.001). Males were twice as likely as females to report a physical fight (p &lt; 0.001) and fighting-related injury (p &lt; 0.044). There was a significant decreased likelihood of physical fight involvement from lower to higher grades (p &lt; 0.001), and an increased probability of fighting-related injury with increasing grades for three of five HBSC cycles. Subjective lower status was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of reporting a physical fight at all time points (p &lt; 0.001) and fighting-related injury in three of five HBSC cycles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific subgroups are more likely to report physical fight participation and sustaining a fighting injury. Understanding the context and trends of these outcomes is informative for public health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON. 12md20@queensu.ca.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djerboua
authors.forename: Bingshu E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davison
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*