Journal Watch

Kids at high risk for head injury in gym

Children could be more likely to get a concussion during physical education classes than they are during sports, according to new research.

In a study published in the January issue of APHA’s American Journal of Public Health, researchers found that concussion rates during gym classes were 60 percent higher than they were during extracurricular sports, according to self-reporting from athletic directors and trainers in 147 New Mexico middle and high schools.

During the 2013-2014 school year, concussions in sports were reported at 3.5 head injuries per 100 students, though fewer than a third of those reported concussions were treated in an emergency department. However, in surveyed gym classes, concussion rates were 4.7 per 100 students. Boys were more likely to get a concussion during sports participation than girls, but girls were slightly more likely to get a concussion in gym class. In the survey, more students participated in sports than in gym class.

The researchers said regional variance in concussion rates, as shown in other studies, need to be better understood by public health. Also, if gym class is truly a higher risk for concussion than sports, public health needs to understand that risk and develop tools to make it safer.

Cigarette use linked to daily marijuana

People who use cigarettes daily or regularly are more likely to use marijuana daily than those who have never smoked or those who have quit.

According to research published in the January issue of AJPH, daily marijuana use increased among current, former and non-smokers from 2002 to 2014. But the number of people who smoked cigarettes nondaily and used marijuana daily increased from 2.85 percent in 2002 to more than 8 percent in 2014. Among daily smokers and marijuana users, that number increased from 4.92 percent to just over 9 percent.

While rates of daily marijuana use were lowest among nonsmokers, they also grew the fastest, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which the authors of the AJPH study used in their findings.

The researchers surmised that as recreational marijuana is legalized in more states, those who do not smoke cigarettes are at “considerable risk” for high-frequency use.

Study: HPV vaccine may be halting warts

Declines in anogenital wart rates among young people are most likely because of the human papillomavirus vaccine, according to a new study.

In January’s issue of AJPH, researchers found that rates of anogenital warts decreased by more than 14 percent each year from 2008 to 2014 among girls ages 15 to 19 and by nearly 13 percent each year from 2009 to 2014 among women ages 20 to 24 and by 6 percent among women 25 to 29.

Researchers also noted “significant” declines in warts in men 20 to 24 years old, at 6.5 percent each year.

The study’s authors said decreases among girls and women are most likely due to HPV vaccination, as well as lower rates in men ages 20 to 24, causing them to pass on fewer infections. Decreases among young men, the authors noted, were likely due to herd protection from girls and women getting the vaccine, a series of three injections.

To access studies and podcasts from AJPH, visit www.ajph.org.