The Social Determinants of Health and Athletic Trainer Availability in Indiana Secondary Schools.

CONTEXT

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are circumstances under which individuals are born, work, and live that influence health outcomes. Previous researchers have examined 1 determinant of economic stability and found disparities in socioeconomic status and athletic trainer (AT) availability.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the SDOH characteristics of Indiana secondary schools and AT availability.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Database secondary analysis.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

A total of 426 secondary schools.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): All data were collected from publicly available databases. The independent variable was AT availability, and schools were classified as having a full-time AT, a part-time AT only, or no AT. The SDOH variables were gathered for each school (at the school and county levels). Data were summarized using measures of central tendencies, 1-way analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

RESULTS

School enrollment was larger in schools with greater AT availability (P< .001). The proportion of non-White students was greater in schools with more AT availability (P= .002). Greater AT availability was present in counties with higher graduation rates (P= .03). Post hoc comparisons revealed differences in graduation rates between schools with a part-time AT and those with no AT (P= .04). Schools with less AT availability were located in counties with a slightly higher percentage of the population uninsured (P= .02). Schools with greater AT availability were located in counties with a higher ratio of population to primary care physicians (P= .03). Schools with less AT availability were located in counties with a higher population experiencing severe housing problems (P= .02). No differences were found in AT availability based on the 3 social and community context variables (P> .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Differences were noted in AT availability and SDOH characteristics at the secondary school level. We observed less AT availability where high school graduation rates and the population of primary care providers were lower. Strategies should be implemented to improve access to athletic health care in underresourced communities.