ARE ACTIVE BOYS AND GIRLS AT INCREASED RISK OF HOSPITAL ATTENDANCE OR ADMISSION FOR INJURY? A LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN WALES AND SCOTLAND USING LINKED COHORT AND ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

Abstract

Background Children and young people are being encouraged to increase the amount of time they spend being physically active, especially in activities of moderate and vigorous intensity. However, there is limited evidence on the prospective association of activity levels with injuries requiring health service utilisation. We examined the relationship between objectively-measured physical activity (PA) in childhood and subsequent hospital attendances or admissions for injuries, using linked electronic health records (EHR) from a nationally representative prospective cohort of children in Wales and Scotland. We hypothesised that children engaging in higher intensity PA at age seven experience higher rates of injuryrelated health service utilisation in later childhood and early adolescence