## 3 Results
### Factors Associated with Traumatic Injuries  
Out of all factors tested on association with traumatic injuries using simple GEE analysis, age and weight percentile group were significant (Table 2). Compared to the age of 14 years, being 10 years old was associated with a significantly higher risk for traumatic injury (OR = 3.36). Compared to being in the weight percentile of 75 and above, being in the weight percentile 25 and below was associated with a significantly lower risk for traumatic injury (OR = 0.38). Puberty status showed a tendency for a higher injury risk for pre-pubertal athletes compared to post-pubertal athletes. The other potential factors including sex, relative age variables, core flexion to extension strength ratio, and height were non-significant.  
According to the multiple GEE analysis, both age and weight percentile group remained significantly associated with traumatic injury risk (Table 3), QIC = 446.9. Adding the variable puberty status did not improve the model according to the QIC = 449.7. According to the series of multiple linear regression analysis with stepwise backward elimination, the weight percentile group  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Variable** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **\% Observations** \\ **with Injuries** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **N Observations** \\ **with Injuries** \\ \end{tabular} & **N Observations** & \(p\) & **OR 1** & **95\% CI Ib 2** & **95\% CI Ub 3** \\ \hline Sex & & & & & & \\ Female & 16.2\% & 31 & 191 & 0.655 & 0.86 & 0.43 & 1.69 \\ Male & 19.2\% & 56 & 291 & & 1 (ref) & & \\ Relative age quarter & & & & & & & \\
1 st & 15.7\% & 24 & 153 & 0.692 & 0.79 & 0.25 & 2.52 \\
2 nd & 20.1\% & 30 & 149 & 0.873 & 1.10 & 0.34 & 3.51 \\
3 rd & 19.2\% & 20 & 104 & 0.965 & 1.03 & 0.29 & 3.63 \\
4 th & 17.1\% & 13 & 76 & & 1 (ref) & & \\
**Age** & & & & & & & \\
**years1** & **10** & **28.1\%** & **16** & **57** & **0.021** & **3.63** & **1.22** & **10.81** \\
11 & 17.4\% & 19 & 109 & 0.174 & 2.06 & 0.73 & 5.86 \\
12 & 20.0\% & 26 & 130 & 0.080 & 2.46 & 0.90 & 6.73 \\
13 & 15.6\% & 21 & 135 & 0.213 & 1.88 & 0.70 & 5.09 \\
14 & 9.8\% & 5 & 51 & & 1 (ref) & & \\ Maturity group 4 & & & & & & & \\ Early & 19.7\% & 15 & 76 & 0.670 & 1.26 & 0.43 & 3.73 \\ Average & 18.2\% & 60 & 330 & 0.739 & 1.16 & 0.48 & 2.78 \\ Late & 15.8\% & 12 & 76 & & 1 (ref) & & \\ Puberty & & & & & & & \\ status 5 & & & & & & & \\ Pre-pubertal & 21.8\% & 39 & 179 & 0.073 & 1.86 & 0.94 & 3.67 \\ Pubertal & 16.7\% & 37 & 222 & 0.348 & 1.36 & 0.71 & 2.61 \\ Post-pubertal & 13.6\% & 11 & 81 & 1 (ref) & & & \\  & & & Core flexion to extension strength ratio group 6 & & & & \\ Ratio 1 & 16.1\% & 38 & 236 & 0.287 & 0.76 & 0.45 & 1.26 \\ Ratio \(>\) 1 & 19.5\% & 41 & 210 & & 1 (ref) & & \\ Height percentile group 7 & & & & & & & \\
25 and & 17.2\% & 20 & 116 & 0.403 & 0.68 & 0.27 & 1.70 \\ below & \(>\)25 to \(<\)75 & 17.3\% & 51 & 295 & 0.401 & 0.72 & 0.34 & 1.54 \\
75 and & 23.4\% & 15 & 64 & & 1 (ref) & & \\
**Weight percentile group 8** & & & & & & & \\
**25 and** & **11.0\%** & **13** & **118** & **0.034** & **0.38** & **0.15** & **0.93** \\ \(>\)25 to \(<\)75 & 18.9\% & 54 & 286 & 0.333 & 0.69 & 0.32 & 1.47 \\
75 and & 25.7\% & 18 & 70 & & 1 (ref) & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* OR: odds ratio, 2 95%CI Ib: 95% confidence interval lower bound, 3 95%CI ub: 95% confidence interval upper bound, 4 groups according to age at peak height velocity, 5 according to distance to age at peak height velocity, 6 missing observations = 36, 7 missing observations = 7, 8 missing observations = 8, bold values indicate statistically significant values.  
\end{table}
Table 2: Potential factors associated with traumatic injuries according to the simple general estimating equation analysis (\(n\) = 482 observations).  
was the only remaining significant factor at time points 3 and 4. No significant factors remained for the other time points.