Department of Athletic Training, A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ.
School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
J Athl Train. 2023 Jul 1;58(7-8):618-626. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0477.22.
Sport specialization, or focused participation in a single sport, is associated with an increased rate of overuse injury and burnout. Medical associations and sport organizations have published recommendations for sport specialization aimed at reducing its negative consequences. Health care providers (HCPs) are often identified as individuals who can educate athletes and parents about these important recommendations.
To compare knowledge, perceptions, awareness, confidence in knowledge, and use of sport specialization recommendations among HCPs who work with pediatric athletes.
Cross-sectional study.
An online web-based survey was developed to assess HCPs' knowledge, perceptions, awareness, confidence in knowledge, and clinical use of sport specialization recommendations.
Participants were recruited from the research survey services of 4 professional organizations.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Dependent variables were responses for awareness, perceptions, confidence in knowledge, use, and barriers sections of the survey. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics; comparisons among HCPs were made through χ2 and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
The survey was completed by 770 HCPs (completion rate = 95.1%). Respondents lacked awareness specific to recommendations surrounding the maximum number of sport participation months per year (39.5%), maximum hours per week (40.7%), and maximum number of teams on which youth athletes should participate concurrently (43.9%). Physicians were the most aware of medical organization recommendations generally (48%-68.8%) and confident in their knowledge (41.5%-75.1%). All HCPs were less aware and confident in their knowledge of sport organization recommendations, with no differences among HCPs. Physicians did not perceive many barriers to the use of the recommendations, whereas athletic trainers felt that patient (39.9%) and parent (45.3%) behaviors were the greatest barriers to usage.
Awareness, perceptions, and use of sport specialization recommendations varied by discipline, but most respondents believed they were associated with a decreased risk of injury. Future researchers should focus on improved education and implementation of recommendations across all roles.
专项运动，或专注于单一运动的参与，与过度使用损伤和倦怠的发生率增加有关。医学协会和体育组织已经发布了针对专项运动的建议，旨在减少其负面影响。医疗保健提供者（HCPs）通常被认为是能够向运动员和家长传授这些重要建议的个人。
比较从事儿科运动员工作的 HCPs 在专项运动建议方面的知识、看法、意识、知识信心和使用情况。
横断面研究。
开发了一个在线网络调查，以评估 HCPs 在专项运动建议方面的知识、看法、意识、知识信心和临床使用情况。
参与者是从 4 个专业组织的研究调查服务中招募的。
调查的意识、看法、信心、使用和障碍部分的反应是因变量。使用描述性统计数据对数据进行分析；通过 χ2 和 Kruskal-Wallis 检验比较 HCPs 之间的差异。
共有 770 名 HCPs 完成了调查（完成率=95.1%）。受访者对建议的具体认识存在不足，例如每年参与运动的最高月份数（39.5%）、每周最高时间（40.7%）和青年运动员应同时参加的最多团队数（43.9%）。医生普遍对医学组织的建议最了解（48%-68.8%），对自己的知识最有信心（41.5%-75.1%）。所有 HCPs 对体育组织建议的认识和信心都较低，且 HCPs 之间没有差异。医生不认为使用这些建议存在很多障碍，而运动训练师则认为患者（39.9%）和家长（45.3%）的行为是最大的障碍。
专项运动建议的认识、看法和使用情况因学科而异，但大多数受访者认为这些建议与受伤风险降低有关。未来的研究人员应专注于提高所有角色的建议的教育和实施。
