The majority of injuries among Norwegian youth occur in sports. The purpose of the project is to conduct an effect and process evaluation of the intervention #Utviklingsklar, an injury-preventive club-based intervention in youth handball and football. Central to the evaluation is whether the intervention influences the occurrence of new and recurring injuries through changed coaching practices (injury prevention warm-up, strength training, and management of players with pain and injuries). Over one season, participants from 30 clubs in youth handball and football respectively will participate in two cluster-randomized studies. Coaches and club leaders implement #Utviklingsklar and create plans and practices for injury prevention. The control clubs train as usual. Players report injuries. An additional handball and football club are followed up with observation and interviews in a qualitative part of the process evaluation. The project provides knowledge about how injuries and health in the ¾ of Norwegian youth who participate in organized sports are affected by interventions aimed at club and coaching practices.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
2,954
The intervention consists of 1) an e-learning course, 2) a workshop to create plans and practices for injury-prevention, 3) a mid-season meeting
Hordaland Fotballkrets
Bergen, Norway
Håndballregion Øst
Oslo, Norway
Oslo Fotballkrets
Oslo, Norway
Akershus Fotballkrets
Strømmen, Norway
Håndballregion Nord
Trondheim, Norway
Trøndelag Fotballkrets
Trondheim, Norway
Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H2)
Weekly injury severity score (0 best - 100 worst)
Time frame: Average of biweekly reports over 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Sudden and gradual onset injuries
Weekly injury severity score during the match season for sudden and gradual onset injuries
Time frame: 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Injury location
Weekly injury severity score during the match season for lower leg, ankle/foot, knee, shoulder (handball), thigh (football), hip/groin (football), lumbosacral (football) and head (football) injuries
Time frame: 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Injury location for sudden onset injuries
weekly injury severity score during the match season for sudden onset lower leg, ankle/foot, knee, shoulder (handball), thigh (football), hip/groin (football), and lumbosacral (football) injuries
Time frame: 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Injury location gradual onset injuries
Weekly injury severity score during the match season for gradual-onset lower leg, ankle/foot, knee, shoulder (handball), thigh (football), hip/groin (football), and lumbosacral (football) injuries
Time frame: 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Injury burden
Defined as the sum of injury severity score divided by the sum of exposure (per 1000 hours), where the sums are over team and over match season. The unit of analysis for burden is thus team and not player.
Time frame: 1 sports season (estimated to 32 weeks)
Sports Injury Preventive Behavior Questionnaire (construct scores 0 worst - 1 best)
The aggregated construct scores for the determinants 1) risk perception, 2) intention, 3) outcome expectancies, 4) action self-efficacy, 5) maintenance self-efficacy, 6) coping self-efficacy, 7) recovery self-efficacy, 8) action plans 9) coping plans and 10) club social support
Time frame: Baseline, midseason and post season (about 32 weeks)
Injury-preventive coaching practices
The injury-preventive coaching practice outcomes consist of: 1. The change in the extent to which teams complete warm-up as described in the intervention from baseline to end-of season. 2. The change in the extent to which teams complete strength training as described in the intervention from baseline to end-of season. 3. The change in the extent to which players with pain or injuries receive guidance on medical care from baseline to end-of season. 4. The change in the extent to which training and match participation is facilitated for players with pain or injuries from baseline to end-of season.
Time frame: Baseline and post season (about 32 weeks)
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