Capin Jacob John, Wolf Taylor L, Street Jena Heck, Smith Carolyn S, Lennon Shannon L, Farquhar William B, Hunter Sandra K, Piacentine Linda B
Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2024 May 9;10(2):e001956. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001956. eCollection 2024.
Sports participation confers many health benefits yet greatly increases injury risk. Long-term health outcomes in former athletes and transition to life after competitive sports are understudied. Ending a sport may pose physical and psychosocial challenges. The purpose was to determine the lived experiences of former competitive athletes and how their sports participation impacted their long-term health and well-being. Former college varsity athletes participated in semistructured interviews focusing on their experiences, including past and current health, the impact of injuries, activity, exercise, diet and transition to life after competitive sport. Thematic analysis was completed using a collaborative, iterative process. Thirty-one (16 female, 15 male) former college athletes aged 51.3±7.4 years were interviewed. Six themes emerged: (1) lifelong athlete identity; (2) structure, support and challenges of the college athlete experience; (3) a big transition to life beyond competitive sport; (4) impact of competitive sport on long-term health; (5) facilitators and barriers to long-term health after sport and (6) transferable life skills. Continuing sports eased the transition for many but often delayed their postathlete void. Challenges included managing pain and prior injury (eg, ), reducing energy needs and intake (eg, lack of accountability, changed identity and lost resources and social support. Participants suggested a programme, toolkit, mentoring or exit course to facilitate the transition. While former athletes benefit from transferrable life skills and often continue sports and exercise, they face unique challenges such as managing pain and prior injury, staying active, reducing energy intake and changing identity. Future research should develop and evaluate a toolkit, programme and other resources to facilitate life after ending competitive sports under 'normal' conditions (eg, retirement) and after a career-ending injury.
参与体育运动有诸多健康益处，但也会大幅增加受伤风险。对于前运动员的长期健康状况以及从竞技体育过渡到赛后生活的情况，人们研究得较少。结束一项运动可能会带来身体和心理社会方面的挑战。本研究旨在确定前竞技运动员的生活经历，以及他们的体育参与如何影响其长期健康和幸福感。前大学代表队运动员参与了半结构化访谈，内容聚焦于他们的经历，包括过去和当前的健康状况、伤病的影响、活动、锻炼、饮食以及从竞技运动过渡到赛后生活的情况。采用协作式迭代过程完成了主题分析。对31名（16名女性，15名男性）年龄在51.3±7.4岁的前大学运动员进行了访谈。出现了六个主题：（1）终身运动员身份；（2）大学运动员经历的结构、支持和挑战；（3）向竞技体育之外生活的重大转变；（4）竞技体育对长期健康的影响；（5）运动后长期健康的促进因素和障碍；（6）可转移的生活技能。继续从事体育运动使许多人的过渡更加顺利，但往往也推迟了他们运动员生涯后的空虚期。挑战包括应对疼痛和旧伤（例如）、减少能量需求和摄入量（例如缺乏责任感、身份改变以及资源和社会支持的丧失）。参与者建议设立一个项目、工具包、指导或退出课程来促进过渡。虽然前运动员受益于可转移的生活技能，并且常常继续从事体育运动和锻炼，但他们面临着独特的挑战，如应对疼痛和旧伤、保持活跃、减少能量摄入以及改变身份。未来的研究应该开发并评估一个工具包、项目和其他资源，以促进在“正常”情况下（例如退休）结束竞技体育后以及在职业生涯终结性伤病后进入赛后生活。
