Preparticipation predictors for championship injury and illness: cohort study at the Beijing 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships.
OBJECTIVE
To determine preparticipation predictors of injury and illness at a major Athletics championship.


METHODS
A cohort study design was used. Before the 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Athletics, all 207 registered national teams were approached about partaking in a study of preparticipation health; 50 teams accepted. The athletes (n=957) in the participating teams were invited to complete a preparticipation health questionnaire (PHQ). New injuries and illnesses that occurred at the championships were prospectively recorded. Logistic regression analyses were performed with simple and multiple models using any in-championship injury and in-championship illness as outcomes.


RESULTS
The PHQ was completed by 307 (32.1%) of the invited athletes; 116 athletes (38.3%) reported an injury symptom during the month before the championships, while 40 athletes (13%) reported an illness symptom. 20 (6.5%) of the participating athletes sustained a health problem during the championships. Endurance athletes were almost 10-fold more likely to sustain an in-championship illness than speed/power athletes (OR, 9.88; 95% CI 1.20 to 81.31; p=0.033). Participants reporting a preparticipation gradual-onset injury symptom were three times more likely (OR, 3.09; 95% CI 1.08 to 8.79; p=0.035) and those reporting an illness symptom causing anxiety were fivefold more likely (OR, 5.56; 95% CI 1.34 to 23.15; p=0.018) to sustain an in-championship injury.


CONCLUSIONS
Analyses of preparticipation predictors of injury and illness at a major Athletics championship suggest that endurance athletes require particular clinical attention. Preparticipation symptoms causing anxiety are interesting predictors for in-championship health problems.
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Toomas
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6049-5402
T
Timpka
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.|Swedish Athletics Association, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jenny
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1551-1722
J
Jacobsson
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.|Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
Victor
V
Bargoria
Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Julien D
JD
Périard
Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Sébastien
S
Racinais
Medical and Anti-doping Commission, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Monaco.|Aker Solutions, Lysaker, Norway.
Ola
O
Ronsen
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.|Young Adults Centre, Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden.
Karin
K
Halje
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Christer
C
Andersson
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.|Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Örjan
Ö
Dahlström
Athletics Research Center, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Armin
A
Spreco
Department of Clinical and Exercise Physiology, Sports Medicine Unity, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.|Inter-university Laboratory of Human Movement Biology (LIBM EA 7424), University of Lyon, University Jean Monnet, Saint Etienne, France.|Medical Commission, French Athletics Federation (FFA), Paris, France.
Pascal
P
Edouard
Medical and Anti-doping Commission, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Monaco.|Sports Medicine Department, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Juan-Manuel
JM
Alonso
D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013177:Sports; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Athletics; Illness; Injury prevention; Sport psychology; Sporting injuries