Controlled ecological evaluation of an implemented exercise-training programme to prevent lower limb injuries in sport : Population-level trends in hospital-treated injuries
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gray, Shannon , Akram, Muhammad , Donaldson, Alex , Lloyd, David , Cook, Jill
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 53, no. 8 (2019), p. 487-492
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- Description: Objective Exercise-training programmes have reduced lower limb injuries in trials, but their population-level effectiveness has not been reported in implementation trials. This study aimed to demonstrate that routinely collected hospital data can be used to evaluate population-level programme effectiveness. Method A controlled ecological design was used to evaluate the effect of FootyFirst, an exercise-training programme, on the number of hospital-treated lower limb injuries sustained by males aged 16-50 years while participating in community-level Australian Football. FootyFirst was implemented with a € support' (FootyFirst+S) or a € without support' (FootyFirst+NS) in different geographic regions of Victoria, Australia: 22 clubs in region 1: FootyFirst+S in 2012/2013; 25 clubs in region 2: FootyFirst+NS in 2012/2013; 31 clubs region 3: control in 2012, FootyFirst+S in 2013. Interrupted time-series analysis compared injury counts across regions and against trends in the rest of Victoria. Results After 1 year of FootyFirst+S, there was a non-statistically significant decline in the number of lower limb injuries in region 1 (2012) and region 3 (2013); this was not maintained after 2 years in region 1. Compared with before FootyFirst in 2006-2011, injury count changes at the end of 2013 were: region 1: 20.0% reduction (after 2 years support); region 2: 21.5% increase (after 2 years without support); region 3: 21.8% increase (after first year no programme, second year programme with support); rest of Victoria: 12.6% increase. Conclusion Ecological analyses using routinely collected hospital data show promise as the basis of population-level programme evaluation. The implementation and sustainability of sports injury prevention programmes at the population-level remains challenging.
Awareness and use of the 11+ injury prevention program among coaches of adolescent female football teams
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Callaghan, Aisling , Bizzini, Mario , Jowett, Andrew , Keyzer, Patrick , Nicholson, Matthew
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching Vol. 13, no. 6 (2018), p. 929-938
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- Description: Coaches are essential to participant safety, particularly by implementing injury prevention programs. The evidence-based injury prevention programs developed by sports scientists will not prevent injuries in real-world sports settings if they are not properly implemented. This study investigated the knowledge and use of the highly efficacious 11+ injury prevention program among coaches of adolescent, female football teams, in Victoria, Australia. A cross-sectional online survey based on the RE-AIM framework identified that nearly half (42%) of the 64 respondents (response rate = 36%) were not aware of the 11+, and only one-third (31%) reported using it. Three-quarters (74%) of the 19 respondents who reported on the 11+ components they used, did not use the entire program. Nearly half (44%) of the 18 respondents who reported the frequency with which they used the 11+, used it less than the recommended twice a week. Barriers to implementing the 11+ included: limited awareness of the 11+; lack of knowledge about how to implement it; not having time to implement it; and believing that the 11+ does not incorporate appropriate progression. This study suggests that it is unlikely that the 11+ prevents a significant number of injuries in real-world football settings due to the lack of awareness and use among coaches. Football-governing bodies should use evidence-based strategies to raise awareness of the 11+, build coach competency to implement it, and address time-related implementation barriers that coaches experience. Coaches should keep up-to-date with injury prevention research evidence and prioritize injury prevention at training, including allocating time to implement injury prevention programs properly.
Infographic : We have the programme, what next? Developing a plan of action to implement injury prevention exercise programmes in community sport
- Authors: Bekker, Sheree , Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British journal of sports medicine Vol. 52, no. 22 (2018), p. 1419-1420
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- Description: Exercise programmes to prevent injuries, such as lower-limb injuries that are common in community Australian Football
But can someone like me do it? The importance of appropriate role modelling for safety behaviours in sports injury prevention
- Authors: White, Peta , Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 10 (2016), p. 569-570
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Preventing sports injuries requires behaviour change. Observational learning, or role modelling, is one way to develop self-efficacy, a key behavioural determinant. This premise underpins the social cognitive theory (SCT), and is the reason why role models have such a strong influence on behaviour. Most human behaviour is learned by observing others. Therefore, understanding role modelling and how to use it effectively could be important for sports injury prevention.
It will take more than an existing exercise programme to prevent injury
- Authors: O'Brien, James , Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 5 (Mar 2016), p. 264-265
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
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- Description: In 1983, Ekstrand et al published the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an injury prevention programme for team ball sport. Three decades on from this landmark study, it is worth reflecting on the progress made and the current ‘state-of-play’ in the field of team ball sport injury prevention research. The volume of published research has grown considerably with a recent systematic review of team ball sport injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) identifying over 50 published trials. The scale, quality and outcomes of recent RCTs are also encouraging with a Swedish trial including over 4500 female soccer players and demonstrating a 64% reduction in the rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
Ensuring implementation success: how should coach injury prevention education be improved if we want coaches to deliver safety programmes during training sessions?
- Authors: White, Peta , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie , Romiti, Maria , Donaldson, Alex , Ullah, Shahid , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 5 (2014), p. 402-403
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Coaches play a major role in encouraging and ensuring that participants of their teams adopt appropriate safety practices. However, the extent to which the coaches undertake this role will depend upon their attitudes about injury prevention, their perceptions of what the other coaches usually do and their own beliefs about how much control they have in delivering such programmes. Fifty-one junior netball coaches were surveyed about incorporating the teaching of correct (safe) landing technique during their delivery of training sessions to junior players. Overall, >94% of coaches had strongly positive attitudes towards teaching correct landing technique and >80% had strongly positive perceptions of their own control over delivering such programmes. Coaches’ ratings of social norms relating to what others think about teaching safe landing were more positive (>94%) than those relating to what others actually do (63–74%). In conclusion, the junior coaches were generally receptive towards delivering safe landing training programmes in the training sessions they led. Future coach education could include role modelling by prominent coaches so that more community-level coaches are aware that this is a behaviour that many coaches can, and do, engage in.
Knowledge about sports-related concussion: is the message getting through to coaches and trainers?
- Authors: White, Peta , Newton, Joshua , Makdissi, Michael , Sullivan, John , Davis, Gavin , McCrory, Paul , Donaldson, Alex , Ewing, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 2 (2014), p. 119-124
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Aim: The need for accurate diagnosis and appropriate return-to-play decisions following a concussion in sports has prompted the dissemination of guidelines to assist managing this condition. This study aimed to assess whether key messages within these guidelines are reflected in the knowledge of coaches and sports trainers involved in community sport. Methods: An online knowledge survey was widely promoted across Australia in May–August 2012 targeting community Australian Football (AF) and Rugby League (RL) coaches and sports trainers. 260 AF coaches, 161 AF sports trainers, 267 RL coaches and 228 RL sports trainers completed the survey. Knowledge scores were constructed from Likert scales and compared across football codes and respondent groups. Results: General concussion knowledge did not differ across codes but sports trainers had higher levels than did coaches. There were no significant differences in either concussion symptoms or concussion management knowledge across codes or team roles. Over 90% of respondents correctly identified five of the eight key signs or symptoms of concussion. Fewer than 50% recognised the increased risk of another concussion following an initial concussion. Most incorrectly believed or were uncertain that scans typically show damage to the brain after a concussion occurs. Fewer than 25% recognised, and >40% were uncertain that younger players typically take longer to recover from concussion than adults. Conclusions: The key messages from published concussion management guidelines have not reached community sports coaches and sports trainers. This needs to be redressed to maximise the safety of all of those involved in community sport.
The three must-do's of intervention reporting : Enhancing sports injury prevention research
- Authors: O'Brien, James , Donaldson, Alex , Barbery, Gaery , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 17 (2014), p. 1267-1269
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Injuries in team ball sports (eg, soccer, handball, volleyball and basketball) are common, accounting for 44% of all nonfatal sports injuries in the 27 EU Nations.1 Combined with high participation rates, this gives team ball sports the potential to pose significant health burdens, and highlights the importance of preventing injuries in this context.
Applying implementation science to sports injury prevention
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Editorial , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 47, no. 8 (2013), p. 473-475
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Recent commentary in the BJSM has argued that a key challenge for future sports injury prevention is to reduce the ‘research to practice’ gap. Unfortunately, very few examples of this type of research actually exist. In this issue, Myklebust et al describe their approach to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention in Norwegian Handball over the past 13 years. This is one of the first published papers on the long-term outcomes of a sports injury prevention intiative that has shown promising efficacy in controlled trials. While this paper describes an impressive intial research effort and outstanding example of long-term follow-up through an ACL Injury Surveillance Programme, it also highlights challenges associated with conducting sports injury prevention implementation research.
- Description: Editorial
- Description: 2003011041
Understanding safety management system applicability in community sport
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Borys, David , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Safety Science Vol. 60, no. (2013), p. 95-104
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Despite recent interest in understanding the implementation context for sports injury prevention interventions, little research attention has been paid to the management structures and processes of community sporting organisations. This study developed expert consensus about the importance of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) setting-related safety management system (SMS) principles and performance indicators in the context of Australian community sporting organizations, and the feasibility of these organisations meeting the requirements for the SMS performance indicators. Twenty-nine sports injury prevention, community sports administration and OHS SMS experts participated in a three-round online Delphi study by rating the importance of 64 SMS performance indicators categorised under the five principles of Commitment and Policy; Planning; Implementation; Measurement and Evaluation; and Review and Improvement. Overall, consensus agreement - define as rated 'essential' or 'very important' on a five-point scale by ≥75% of the participants in Round 3 - was reached for 57 performance indicators. Ten (15%) performance indicators were rated as 'very difficult' or 'relatively difficult', and six (9%) were rated as 'very easy' or 'relatively easy' on a four-point scale, by ≥75% of participants. This research suggests that the guiding principles and associated performance indicators that underpin OHS safety management systems in the workplace are very relevant and applicable to community sporting organisations in Australia. However, considerable work is required to build organisational capacity to be able to develop and implement meaningfully and useful SMSs to prevent sports injuries in the most common setting in which they occur. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. Funded by NHMRC.
- Description: 2003011206
Identifying context-specific competencies required by community Australian Football sports trainers
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 10 (August 2012 2012), p. 759-765
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Background: First-aid is a recommended injury prevention and risk management strategy in community sport; however, little is known about the sport-specific competencies required by first-aid providers. Objective: To achieve expert consensus on the competencies required by community Australian Football (community-AF) sports trainers. Study design: A three-round online Delphi process. Setting: Community-AF. Participants: 16 Australian sports first-aid and community-AF experts. Outcome measures: Rating of competencies as either ‘essential’, ‘expected’, ‘ideal’ or ‘not required’. Results: After Round 3, 47 of the 77 (61%) competencies were endorsed as ‘essential’ or ‘expected’ for a sports trainer to effectively perform the activities required to the standards expected at a community-AF club by ≥75% of experts. These competencies covered: the role of the sports trainer; the responsibilities of the sports trainer; emergency management; injury and illness assessment and immediate management; taping; and injury prevention and risk management. Four competencies (5%) were endorsed as ‘ideal’ or ‘not required’ by ≥85% of experts and were excluded from further consideration. The 26 competencies where consensus was not reached were retained as second-tier, optional competencies. Conclusions: Sports trainers are important members of on-field first-aid teams, providing support to both injured players and other sports medicine professionals. The competencies identified in this study provide the basis of a proposed two-tiered community-AF–specific sports trainer education structure that can be implemented by the peak sports body. This includes six mandatory modules, relating to the ‘required’ competencies, and a further six optional modules covering competencies on which consensus was not reached.
Is sports safety policy being translated into practice: What can be learnt from the Australian Rugby Union Mayday procedure?
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Donaldson, Alex
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 8 (2012), p. 585-590
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- Description: Description: Aim To investigate the level of translation of the Australian Rugby Union “Mayday” safety procedure into practice among community rugby union coaches in New South Wales (Australia). Methods All registered coaches of senior community rugby union teams in five zones/associations in the north eastern region of the state were invited to complete a short online questionnaire at the end of the 2010 rugby season. The questionnaire was designed around the five RE-AIM dimensions and assessed: Reach, perceived Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of the Mayday procedure. Results Seventy (39%) coaches participated. There was a high level of awareness of the Mayday procedure, and most coaches believed it was effective in preventing injuries. The majority reported training their players in the procedure, although training was generally infrequent. Coaches were confident that their own players could implement the procedure appropriately if required to do so, but less confident that other teams or referees could do so. Barriers to providing training included: not enough players at training; players not taking training seriously; and technical difficulties (e.g. verbalisation of instructions for physical tasks). Conclusion The findings suggest that the translation of the Mayday ‘policy’ could be improved by building individual coach, and club or zone organisational capacity by: ensuring coaches have the resources and skills in ‘how’ to train their players to complement their existing knowledge on ‘what’ to train them; setting expectations that encourage coaches to provide regular training for players; and regular monitoring of player competency to perform the procedure appropriately.
Planning for implementation and translation : seek first to understand the end-users’ perspectives
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 5 (April 2012), p. 306-307
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Translating research evidence into sustained improvements in population health outcomes is a current priority across many health research fields including sports medicine,1 injury prevention2 and physical activity promotion.3 Both the ‘traditional’ approach of publishing sports injury research findings in peer-reviewed journals and hoping for the best, and the more sophisticated approach of developing and disseminating consensus statements and related sport safety guidelines have been relatively unsuccessful to date.
Sport as a setting for promoting health
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 1 (January 2012 2012), p. 4-5
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