Dataset Information

Socioeconomic Factors for Sports Specialization and Injury in Youth Athletes.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on rates of sports specialization and injury among youth athletes has not been described previously. HYPOTHESIS:Young athletes from lower socioeconomic status will have lower rates of sports specialization and subsequently lower risk of overuse injuries. STUDY DESIGN:Cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Level 3. METHODS:Injured athletes aged 7 to 18 years were recruited from 2 hospital-based sports medicine clinics and compared with uninjured athletes presenting for sports physicals at primary care clinics between 2010 and 2013. Participants completed surveys on training patterns. Electronic medical records provided injury details as well as patient zip code, race, and health insurance type. SES was estimated from zip codes. The sample was divided into SES tertiles. Analysis of variance and multivariate regression were used for continuous variables, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore relationships between risk factors and injury. RESULTS:Of 1190 athletes surveyed, 1139 (96%) had satisfactory SES data. Compared with low-SES athletes, high-SES athletes reported more hours per week spent playing organized sports (11.2 ± 6.0 vs 10.0 ± 6.5; P = 0.02), trained more months per year in their main sport (9.7 ± 3.1 vs 7.6 ± 3.7; P < 0.01), were more often highly specialized (38.9% vs 16.6%; P < 0.01), and had increased participation in individual sports (64.8% vs 40.0%; P < 0.01). The proportion of athletes with a greater than 2:1 ratio of weekly hours in organized sports to free play increased with SES. Accounting for age and weekly organized sports hours, the odds of reporting a serious overuse injury increased with SES (odds ratio, 1.5; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION:High-SES athletes reported more serious overuse injuries than low-SES athletes, potentially due to higher rates of sports specialization, more hours per week playing organized sports, higher ratio of weekly hours in organized sports to free play, and greater participation in individual sports. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:As SES increases, young athletes report higher degrees of sports specialization, greater participation in individual sports, and more serious overuse injuries.

SUBMITTER: Jayanthi NA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6044126 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul-Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Socioeconomic Factors for Sports Specialization and Injury in Youth Athletes.

Jayanthi Neeru A NA Holt Daniel B DB LaBella Cynthia R CR Dugas Lara R LR

Sports health 20180531 4

<h4>Background</h4>The effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on rates of sports specialization and injury among youth athletes has not been described previously.<h4>Hypothesis</h4>Young athletes from lower socioeconomic status will have lower rates of sports specialization and subsequently lower risk of overuse injuries.<h4>Study design</h4>Cohort study.<h4>Level of evidence</h4>Level 3.<h4>Methods</h4>Injured athletes aged 7 to 18 years were recruited from 2 hospital-based sports medicine clinic ...[more]

PMID: 29851549

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundSignificant evidence has emerged that sport specialization is associated with an increased risk of overuse injury in youth athletes. Several recommendations exist to reduce the risk of overuse injury in youth sports, but the risk of overuse injuries may be dependent on specific movements required by a given sport.HypothesesAssociations between specialized sport participation and overuse injury will exist in volleyball athletes but not soccer or basketball athletes. Female athletes will be more likely to report an overuse injury in the previous year, regardless of sport.Study designCross-sectional study.Level of evidenceLevel 3.MethodsYouth athletes between the ages of 12 and 18 years were recruited in-person at club team tournaments, competitions, and events around the state of Wisconsin during the 2016-2017 school year. Participants were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire that consisted of (1) participant demographics, (2) sport specialization status, (3) monthly and weekly sport volume, and (4) sport-related injury history in the previous year.ResultsA total of 716 youth athletes completed the questionnaire (70.8% female; mean age, 14.21 ± 1.50 years; 43.2% basketball, 19.4% soccer, 37.4% volleyball; 41.8% highly specialized; 32.3% reported overuse injury in the previous year). Sex was associated with overuse injury among basketball athletes, with female basketball athletes nearly 4 times more likely to report an overuse injury compared with male basketball athletes (odds ratio, [OR], 3.7; 95% CI, 2.1-6.6; P < 0.001). High specialization (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-4.9; P = 0.02) and participating in a single sport for more than 8 months per year (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5; P < 0.05) were associated with overuse injury only among volleyball athletes.ConclusionSpecialization and exceeding 8 months per year in a single sport was associated with overuse injury in volleyball, which is one of the most popular youth sports for female athletes. Specialization was not associated with overuse injury in basketball or soccer athletes. Female basketball athletes were nearly 4 times more likely to report a history of overuse injury compared with male basketball athletes. The sex of a youth athlete and the sport that he or she plays may influence the risk of overuse injury associated with sport specialization.Clinical relevanceYouth athletes, parents, and clinicians should be aware that the potential risks of specialization might vary based on the athlete's sport and sex.

Project description:Actually, there is scarce literature looking for the relationship between inter-limb asymmetries and performance in youth elite team sports. The main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between inter-limb asymmetries and physical performance in youth elite team-sports players. A secondary objective was to evaluate the presence of between-sexes differences in inter-limb asymmetries in elite youth team sports players. Eighty-one young elite team-sports athletes (age: u-14 to u-18) performed the star excursion balance test in the anterior direction (SEBT ANT), a single leg vertical countermovement jump test (SLCMJ), the one leg hop test for distance (OLHT), a 30 m sprint test, and the V-cut test. Inter-limb asymmetries were calculated for SEBT ANT, SLCMJ and OLHT. Pearson r was used to analyse the relationships between inter-limb asymmetries and physical performance. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) but small (r = 0.26) relationships between SLCMJ asymmetries and 30 m sprint time for the total group. Significant negative correlations with small to moderate magnitude of correlation were also found between SLCMJ asymmetries and SLCMJ performance on the lowest performing limb for the total group (p < 0.05; r = -0.26), males (p < 0.01; r = -0.48) and females (p < 0.05; r = -0.30). Moreover, significant negative correlations with moderate and large magnitude were also present between OLHT asymmetries and OLHT performance on the lowest performing limb for the total group (p < 0.01; r = -0.44), males (p < 0.01; r = -0.56) and females (p < 0.01; r = -0.64). No correlations were observed between asymmetries and either the V-cut test or SEBT ANT performance. No correlation were observed between SEBT ANT asymmetries and physical performance. In addition, when comparing asymmetry values between sexes there were no significant differences in vertical (p = 0.06) and horizontal (p = 0.61) jumping tests. However, there were significant differences in asymmetry between sexes in the ANT SEBT (p = 0.04). In conclusion, the current study indicated that jumping asymmetries were associated with decrements in sprint speed and jumping performance. Therefore, assessing inter-limb asymmetries would be recommended to improve training interventions for youth elite team-sports athletes.

Project description:Background:Pediatric sports specialization, defined as intense year-round training in a single sport as a result of excluding other sports for more than 8 months per year, is common in the United States. There are demonstrated physical and social risks to early pediatric sports specialization (defined as before age 12 years). While thought to be needed to acquire appropriate experience and excel in a given sport, there remains little information on when athletes at the highest levels of their sport specialized. This study aimed to define when professional and collegiate ice hockey players specialized.Hypothesis:Early sports specialization before age 12 years will not be common among elite-level (professional and collegiate) ice hockey players.Study design:Retrospective cross-sectional survey study.Level of evidence:Level 3.Methods:Male professional and collegiate ice hockey players within 1 National Hockey League organization and 2 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) organizations who were 18 years of age or older completed a survey at training camp detailing their history of sports participation and specialization.Results:A total of 91 athletes participated in the study (mean age, 22.8 years; range, 18-39 years). The mean age at the start of any sports participation was 4.5 years, and the mean age of sports specialization was 14.3 years. The mean age of specialization in the professional group, the NCAA Division I group, and the NCAA Division III group was 14.1, 14.5, and 14.6 years, respectively.Conclusion:Early pediatric sports specialization is not common in elite-level (professional and collegiate) ice hockey players.Clinical relevance:Early pediatric sports specialization before age 12 years is not necessary for athletic success in professional and collegiate ice hockey. This study provides further evidence supporting the recommendations of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine against early sports specialization.

Dataset Information

Socioeconomic Factors for Sports Specialization and Injury in Youth Athletes.

Publications

Socioeconomic Factors for Sports Specialization and Injury in Youth Athletes.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets