Compliance and Fidelity With an Injury Prevention Exercise Program in High School Athletics

Background: Use of injury prevention programs (IPPs) by high school athletes has increased but their success in reducing injury depends on program compliance and fidelity of exercise performance. Hypothesis: Compliance with the 11+ IPP and exercise performance fidelity by high school athletic teams depend on sex, sport, and level of play. Study Design: Secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Level of Evidence: Level 2. Methods: The 11+ IPP was implemented by 100 male and female high school athletic teams (American football, soccer, basketball, and lacrosse). Team compliance and fidelity with the program were evaluated by direct observation of warm-up routines and a weekly online survey completed by coaches. Differences in compliance and fidelity due to sport, sex, and level of play were assessed by analysis of variance. Results: Coaches reported that their teams performed the full IPP an average of 1.45 times per week, and 28% of observed warm-ups included all exercises in the IPP. Compliance differed by sport but not by level of play or the athletes’ sex. At the end of the season, cueing was observed 19% of the time and differed by sport. Good technique was observed 66% of the time and varied by level of play. Conclusion: Team compliance with the IPP varied by sport and was below the recommended number of sessions per week needed to reduce injury. Removal of implementation barriers and improved support from coaches are needed at all levels of play for IPPs to be effective. Clinical Relevance: Clinical and sports practitioners intending to implement an IPP at the high school level should anticipate and address barriers that affect program compliance and fidelity of exercise performance. Frequent follow-up and instruction may be necessary for successful adoption of the IPP.

Relative Age Effect on basketball: implications for the selection of successful players (Efecto de la edad relativa en el baloncesto: implicaciones para la selección de jugadores exitosos)

The Relative Age Effect has been the subject of study by researchers who seek to understand sports performance. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of relative age effect (RAE) in basketball players, verifying whether early-birth players and the features of the place they inserted affect probable recruitment for athletic teams. The sample was comprised 1,455 players within 9 and 19-year-old. Variables included birth semester, gender, sports category, number of recruitments, geographical region. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model. The results found that early-birth players had a better chance to be recruited for state athletic teams u13 than late-birth ones. Players u15 and u17 had similar chances. Further, u13 and u15 players linked to the northern region for Brazil and in cities with very high Human Development Index (HDI) and medium-sized cities had a better recruitment chance for state team. Results may be employed by coaches, recruiters and headhunters, since variables associated to RAE may affect the state team and players´ performance throughout the process of sports formation. Removing the influence of relative age-related differences is predicted to improve the accuracy of identifying skilled players. Resumen. El efecto de la edad relativa (RAE) ha sido objeto de estudio por parte de investigadores que buscan comprender el desempeño en el deporte. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar el predominio del efecto de la edad relativa (RAE) en jugadores de baloncesto, verificando si los jugadores de nacimiento temprano y las características del lugar donde estaban insertos inciden en el probable reclutamiento para equipos deportivos. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1.455 jugadores de entre 9 y 19 años. Las variables incluyeron semestre de nacimiento, género, categoría deportiva, número de reclutamientos, región geográfica. Los datos fueron analizados mediante estadística descriptiva y modelo de regresión logística binaria. Los resultados encontrados demostraron que los jugadores de nacimiento temprano tenían mayores posibilidades de ser reclutados para equipos atléticos estatales sub13 que los de nacimiento tardío. Los jugadores sub15 y sub17 tuvieron oportunidades similares. Además, los jugadores sub13 y sub15 vinculados a la región norte de Brasil y en ciudades com alto Índice de Desarrollo Humano (IDH) y ciudades medianas, tuvieron mayores oportunidades de ser reclutados para el equipo estatal. Los resultados pueden ser empleados por entrenadores, reclutadores y cazatalentos, ya que las variables asociadas al RAE pueden afectar el desempeño del equipo estatal y de los jugadores a lo largo del proceso de formación deportiva. Se prevé que al eliminar la influencia de las diferencias relativas relacionadas con la edad mejorará la precisión en la identificación de jugadores habilidosos.

Collegiate Athletic Trainers' Experiences with Work-family Conflict and Work-family Guilt Based Upon Organizational Factors

Context: The collegiate athletic setting has been described as having high workloads and working demands. The extensive time commitment required of athletic trainers working in this setting has been identified as a precursor to work-family conflict (WFC) and work-family guilt (WFG). Though individualized, experiences in the work-life interface can largely be impacted by organizational factors (i.e., elements specific to the workplace). While staff size and patient load may influence the athletic trainer's feelings of WFC and WFG, these factors have not been directly studied. Objective: Our purpose was to examine organizational factors and experiences of WFC and WFG among collegiate athletic trainers. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Collegiate setting. Participants: 615 (female=391, gender variant/non-conforming=1, male=222, preferred not to answer=1) athletic trainers responded to an online survey. The average age of participants was 33 ± 9 years, and they were BOC certified for 10 ± 8 years. 352 participants (57.2%) worked in the DI setting, 99 in DII (16.1%), and 164 in DIII (26.7%). Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants responded to demographic and workplace characteristic questions (organizational infrastructure, staff size, and number of varsity-level athletic teams). Individuals completed WFC and WFG scales that have been previously validated and used in the athletic trainer population. Results: Work-family conflict and WFG were universally experienced among our participants with WFC scores predicting WFG scores. Participants reported higher time-based conflict than strain or behavior-based conflict. No significant differences in WFC and WFG scores were found between organizational infrastructures. Weak positive correlations were found between staff size and WFC scores and WFG scores. The number of athletic teams was not associated with WFC or WFG scores. Conclusions: Organizational factors are an important component of the work-life interface. From an organizational perspective, focusing on improving work-life balance for the athletic trainer can help mitigate experiences with WFC and WFG.

Collaboration to Create Culture Change: Combating Hazing at Kingsman University

At Kingsman University (KU), fraternity and sorority life is as central to campus culture as its athletic teams. Included in that culture are alcohol abuse, mistrust of the institution, and failure to act when a situation turns dire. Furthermore, some people suspect that fraternities and sororities perpetuate racism. Following a near-fatal incident of a first-year student by fraternity hazing at a chapter that was already on alert, the KU President called leaders from around campus to spearhead an overdue culture change. Undergraduate students worked alongside upper-level administrators and campus departments to formulate recommendations to eliminate KU’s notorious hazing culture.

Independent Medical Care

Sport coaches are the primary interface with athletes and have considerable influence over the athletic environment. There is an evolving cultural shift to an athlete-centered approach to sports medicine, meaning that athletes should receive medical care that is completely independent of the influence of the coach. This is an especially important concept when athletic trainers, physicians and other sports medicine personnel are housed in athletics, a space where a coach may have considerable influence. Ultimately, primary health-care providers for athletic teams or organizations should have unchallengeable, autonomous authority for all medical and return-to-play decisions in sport.