Soccer injuries in female youth players: comparison of injury surveillance by certified athletic trainers and internet.
BACKGROUND
Few authors have evaluated sports injury-surveillance systems that use parental, Internet-based surveys for data collection.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether certified athletic trainers (ATs) and parental, Internet-based surveys provided comparable data for identifying soccer injuries.


METHODS
Prospective feasibility cohort study.


METHODS
A soccer association in Seattle, Washington.


METHODS
Eighty female youth soccer players, ages 12 to 14 years.


METHODS
We compared the data provided by ATs attending 1 soccer practice per week with a weekly soccer-parent, Internet-based system. We measured athlete-exposure hours (AEHs) for each player. We compared injury rates reported by ATs only, Internet-based surveys only, and both systems combined. We evaluated the 2 surveillance systems for agreement on injured body region and laterality of injury using the kappa statistic.


RESULTS
For ATs only, Internet-based surveys only, and both systems combined, we found acute injury rates of 3.0 per 1000 AEHs, 3.9 per 1000 AEHs, and 4.7 per 1000 AEHs and overuse injury rates of 1.0 per 1000 AEHs, 2.9 per 1000 AEHs, and 2.9 per 1000 AEHs, respectively. Players sustained 27 acute injuries (44% ankle, 11% knee, 11% hip) reported by at least 1 of the 2 systems, with 63% reported by ATs and 85% by Internet-based survey. Players sustained 17 overuse injuries (35% knee, 29% lower leg) reported by either system, with 35% reported by ATs and 100% by Internet-based survey. Among players for whom we had both ATs' and Internet-based survey injury data, body region injured and laterality had very good agreement (kappa = 0.73 to 1.0).


CONCLUSIONS
The injury rate based on the weekly parental, Internet-based survey was similar to the rate based on the ATs' reporting and had comparable classifications of injured body region and laterality of injury.
Schiff
Melissa A
MA
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. mschiff@u.washington.edu
Mack
Christopher D
CD
Polissar
Nayak L
NL
Levy
Marni R
MR
Dow
Sara P
SP
O'Kane
John W
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003625:Data Collection; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010290:Parents; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*; D013178:Sports Medicine; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology
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