Digital health platform reduced injury incidence among youth outdoor athletes
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Key takeaways:
- An age-adjusted digital health platform reduced the incidence of injuries among youth athletes.
- Larger youth athletic clubs saw a greater preventative effect compared with smaller clubs.
Universal prevention through the use of an age-adjusted digital health platform reduced the incidence of injuries among youth athletes during an outdoor track and field season, according to published results.
Researchers performed a cluster randomized controlled trial of 11 youth athletic clubs (56 athletes) who received injury prevention information through a digital health platform and a control group of 10 youth athletic clubs (79 athletes) who did not use the digital health platform. Athletes, parents and coaches in the intervention group were given access to an age-adjusted digital platform and were encouraged to explore its content during a 16-week outdoor track and field season.
Researchers found injury incidence was significantly lower in the intervention group (25%) compared with the control group (41%). Median time to first injury was 16 weeks in the intervention group and 8 weeks in the control group, according to the study. Univariate analysis confirmed the likelihood of injury was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (HR = 0.62). Researchers also found the preventive effect of the digital health platform was more effective in large athletic clubs compared with small athletic clubs (HR = 0.491)
“Digital platforms provide opportunities to reach groups with knowledge, but further research is needed to increase our understanding of dissemination, adoption and how the knowledge is used by the targeted groups,” the researchers wrote in the study.
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