Citation

McKay C, Steffen K, Romiti MA, Finch C, Emery CA. Br. J. Sports Med. 2014; 48(7): 637.

Affiliation

Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bjsports-2014-093494.207

PMID

24620248

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Injury knowledge and beliefs influence uptake of injury prevention programs. The effect of exposure to prevention programs on knowledge and beliefs is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of exposure to the FIFA 11+ program on the injury knowledge and beliefs of female youth soccer coaches and players. DESIGN: A sub-cohort analysis from a cluster-randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Youth soccer league venues in Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: 31 female teams [coaches n=29, players (ages 13-18) n=258]. RISK FACTOR ASSESSMENT: Teams recorded FIFA 11+ adherence during the season. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Coaches and players completed pre-season and post-season questionnaires to assess changes in injury knowledge and prevention beliefs after FIFA 11+ exposure. RESULTS: At baseline, 62.8% (95% CI: 48.4-77.3) of coaches and 75.8% (95% CI: 71.5-80.1) of players considered "inadequate warm-up" a risk factor for injury. There was no effect of 11+ adherence on this belief (odds ratio=1.0; 95% CI: 0.9-1.1), although more players (78.7%; 95% CI: 73.77-83.7) than coaches (51.7%; 95% CI: 33.55-69.9) considered "inadequate warm-up" a risk factor at post-season. At baseline, 13.8% (95% CI: 1.3-26.4) of coaches believed a warm-up could prevent muscle injuries, but none believed it could prevent knee and ankle injuries. For players, 9.7% (95% CI: 6.1-13.3), 4.7% (95% CI: 2.1-7.3), and 4.7% (95% CI: 2.1-7.3) believed a warm-up would prevent muscle, knee, and ankle injuies, respectively. There was no effect of adherence on post-season beliefs that a warm-up could prevent an injury, for coaches or players. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to the FIFA 11+ appears insufficient for changing injury risk or prevention beliefs over a single season. This could have implications for program delivery strategies and may influence sustained program use.

Language: en