title: Coach-directed education is associated with injury-prevention behaviour in players: an ecological cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rugby union ('rugby') presents an above-average risk of injury to participants.BokSmartis a South African nationwide intervention that aims to reduce rugby-related injuries in players. This is achieved by educating coaches and referees to improve injury behaviour of players. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess if the receipt of injury-prevention education was associated with player behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Junior (n=2279) and senior (n=1642) players, who attended merit-based South African Rugby tournaments (2008-2012), completed an anonymous questionnaire. Logistic regressions investigated if player injury-prevention behaviours were associated with the receipt of education on the same topic. Additionally, players' preferred sources of education were explored through frequency and χ2analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 16 injury-prevention behaviours, 12 (75%) were associated with receiving education on that topic. The four behaviours not associated with education were: warming-up (before trainingandmatches), and avoiding heatandmassage post injury. Of the seven possible sources of this education, the majority of players chose either coaches or physiotherapists as their preferred media. In comparison with junior players, more senior players chose physiotherapists instead of coaches for warming-up and cooling-down education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study support, to a large degree, the strategy ofBokSmart-influence of player behaviour through coach education. However, these findings also suggest thatBokSmartcould target team physiotherapists in addition to coaches and referees with their safety education. Also, players might have different preferences for this education depending on their age.
authors.affiliation: Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|Department of Public and Occupational Health EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: James C
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7778-7783
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sugnet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gardner-Lubbe
authors.affiliation: Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|Department of Public and Occupational Health EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michael Ian
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|Department of Public and Occupational Health EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Amsterdam Collaboration on Health and Safety in Sports, IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, VUmc/AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Mechelen
authors.affiliation: Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|Department of Public and Occupational Health EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Amsterdam Collaboration on Health and Safety in Sports, IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, VUmc/AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP), Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Evert
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9227-8234
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verhagen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes / Q000193:education*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Behaviour; Cohort study; Football; Intervention effectiveness