title: Injury and illness surveillance at the International Sailing Federation Sailing World Championships 2014.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Sailing World Championships 2014 was contested by 1167 sailors in all 10 Olympic classes. Our objective was to characterise sailing-related injuries and illnesses in sailors participating in this regatta.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted 2 surveys: (1) prior to the World Championships, sailors answered a 12-month recall questionnaire on sailing-related injuries and illnesses and (2) during the Championships, injuries and illnesses were documented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 760 respondents (65% of all participants) for the 12-month recall questionnaire (58% male, 42% female), of whom 244 participants reported 299 injuries (0.59 injuries per 1000 h of sailing). Injuries were most prevalent in the 49erFX (64%), RS:X Women (39%), 49er (37%) and Nacra 17 (36%). Lower back (29% of sailors), knee (13%), shoulder (12%) and ankle (10%) injuries were most prevalent; most (58% of all injuries) were overuse injuries; and 56% of sailors lost sailing time. Most illnesses (40%) were infections, primarily of the respiratory system (43%). During the Championships, there were 67 injuries (4 per 1000 days of sailing). The 49er (24% of all injuries), 470 Men and Women (24%), and 49erFX (19%) had the highest incidence. Injuries to the hand/fingers (22% of all injuries), back (18%), and foot (12%) were most common, as were contusions (37% of all injuries), cuts/lacerations (24%), and sprains (9%). Of the 29 illnesses (2 per 1000 days of sailing), 9 (31%) were gastrointestinal and 6 (21%) respiratory, while 2 (7%) were gout attacks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Olympic classes introduced since 2000 (49erFX, 49er, Nacra 17) have resulted in a rise in injuries.
authors.affiliation: Changi Sports Medicine Centre, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Benedict
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Changi Sports Medicine Centre, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.affiliation: Andalusian Centre of Sport Medicine, Junta de Andalucía, Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaz Pardal
authors.affiliation: Changi Sports Medicine Centre, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore Sports & Spine Division, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Changi Sports Medicine Centre, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jia Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D004194:Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D013177:Sports; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Illness; Injury; Olympics; Sailing; Surveillance