Information about project titled '#ReadyToPlay jr. - Health problems in female adolescent academy level football players'
#ReadyToPlay jr. - Health problems in female adolescent academy level football players
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Ongoing |
| Project manager: | Anine Nordstrøm |
| Coworker(s): | Camilla Christensen, Roald Bahr, Håvard Moksnes, Joar Harøy, Thor Einar Andersen, Andrea Mosler, Paul Dijkstra |
Description
Background: Little is known about the true burden of injuries and illnesses in academy level female adolescent football.
Purpose: The aim is to report the prevalence and burden of all health problems, and to examine the relationship between physical and mental load and risk of injury, and wellness and risk of injury in Norwegian female adolescent academy level football players. All lower extremity injuries, lower extremity growth-related injuries, stress reactions/fractures and hip/groin injuries will be recorded and reported in detail. We will also examine the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA) as a risk for impaired bone health, and the relationship between early specialization and risk of injury.
Methods: All female adolescent football players attending the “Top Group” (n=450-500) will be followed using a prospective cohort study design (year 2025 to 2027). The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H2) will be used to record all health problems weekly. Wellness and training/game load will be recorded daily (one year). Demographics, mental health screening, screening for low energy availability, eating disorders and hip/groin symptoms will be conducted once a year.
Implications: This project will provide new knowledge about the prevalence and burden of injuries and illnesses in female adolescent football players, with particular focus on potential severe injuries, growth-related injuries, stress reactions/fractures and hip/groin injuries. Furthermore, we will examine the association between potentially modifiable risk factors and injury. Therefore, these data can provide guidance when developing injury prevention interventions for female football in the future. Our findings may also be highly relevant for female athletes in different sports.