Age, sex, and setting factors and labor force in athletic training.

CONTEXT

Occupation or occupational setting shifts might be occurring in the athletic training profession, and differences between sexes might exist; however, little evidence exists to confirm this supposition.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate trends in male and female athletic training employment patterns in terms of age and occupational setting.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

We requested demographic data from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (October 27, 2009) and obtained frequency totals of members by sex across the occupational life span by occupational setting.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Our sample included 18 571 athletic trainers employed in the 3 largest classifications of occupational settings within the profession: college or university, clinical, and secondary school.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): We calculated frequencies and percentages to determine demographic and descriptive data. We analyzed the data using an analysis of variance to identify the differences between sexes across age and setting.

RESULTS

We observed trends in occupational setting and sex across ages 22 to 67 years. We identified differences between sexes across the ages 22 to 67 years (F(1,18569) = 110818.080, P < .001, η(2) = .068) and across occupational settings (F(1,18569) = 61.908, P < .001, η(2) = .003), noting a marked decline in female athletic trainers in the workforce beginning around age 28 years and an increase in male athletic trainers in the secondary school setting beginning around their middle to late 40s. We observed differences at the intercept between setting and sex (F(1,18569) = 63529.344, P < .001, η(2) = .845), which were greater when observed across the ages (F(1,18569) = 23566787.642, P < .001, η(2) = .939).

CONCLUSIONS

We identified differences between sexes across settings and ages in addition to an overall decrease in the workforce among all professionals. A marked decline in female athletic trainers occurred at age 28 years, yet the male population increased at the secondary school level, suggesting a setting shift. Burnout, fatigue, pay scale, and a misunderstanding of professional culture and job duties might influence the exodus or shift in athletic training.