ABSTRACT
Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on injury prevalence in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletes following mandatory state-issued stay-at-home orders in March 2020. A secondary objective was to evaluate the relationship between COVID-19 infection and injury prevalence. Methods The respondents were recruited during pre-participation evaluations held at a Division I university in California in the summer of 2021, as well as via emails shared by athletic trainers at the institution. Data was collected using the Qualtrics Survey Platform (Qualtrics, Provo, UT). For all questions regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants were asked to compare March 2020-March 2021 ("post-pandemic") to March 2019-March 2020 ("pre-pandemic"). Injury was defined as a physical complaint or condition sustained by an athlete during participation in training or competition that resulted in at least one missed day of practice or competition. The study participants were also asked to disclose their history of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. Results One hundred forty-six respondents completed the survey, with a 72.3% response rate. Of the respondents, 33.6% (n=49) reported sustaining at least one injury in the year preceding the pandemic, whereas 45.2% (n=66) of respondents reported sustaining at least one injury within the first year of the pandemic, a 34.5% relative increase in injuries (RR=1.35; 95% CI=1.01, 1.80). There was no significant difference in the number of upper body (RR=1.64; 95% CI=0.8, 3.34; p=0.177) versus lower body (RR=1.31; 95% CI=0.94, 1.82; p=0.11) injuries before and after the pandemic onset. Thirty-two respondents reported a history of COVID-19 infection. The athletes who reported a prior COVID-19 diagnosis were no more likely than the athletes with no prior COVID-19 diagnosis to obtain an injury from March 2020 to February 2021 (p=0.85). Conclusion This study indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders were associated with a greater risk of injury in this cohort of collegiate athletes. Interestingly, a history of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection was not associated with increased risk of injury.
ABSTRACT
Background Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had pervasive effects on the lives of individuals, its influence on the mental health of collegiate athletes remains unknown. This study aimed to assess changes in mental health and substance use in National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) Division I athletes in Southern California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology An online survey was created using the Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah). NCAA Division I athletes in Southern California completed preseason surveys querying indices of mental health, substance use, and injury in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019 to March 2020) and during the pandemic (March 2020 to March 2021). The athletes filled out the survey from June 2021 to September 2021. Participants were asked how likely they were to agree with the following statements: I have felt physically prepared for athletic competitions, I have been satisfied with my mental health, and I have had adequate sleep. Participants were also asked to compare their substance use between the two time periods. Sociodemographic information regarding participants' age, gender, sports team, as well as year in sport and school was also collected. Group comparison analyses were performed using Fisher's exact test. Correlations between mental health measures and other variables were examined using Spearman's correlation coefficients. Results A total of 189 athletes completed the survey (out of the 259 surveys that were started). Females were significantly less likely to feel satisfied with mental health (p < 0.01) and physically prepared for sport (p < 0.01). Across all respondents, satisfaction with mental health was positively correlated with adequate sleep (p < 0.01) and physical preparedness for sport (p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with injury (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between mental health status and history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.84). The vast majority of athletes reported no significant change in substance use pre- to post-pandemic, with no differences according to sex. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on the mental health of female versus male NCAA athletes. Mental health was correlated with sleep, physical preparedness, and being injury-free but not with a history of COVID-19 infection. Despite reports indicating increased substance use in the general population, athletes in this group reported no change in licit and illicit substance use.
ABSTRACT
Background Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had pervasive effects on the lives of individuals, its influence on the mental health of collegiate athletes remains unknown. This study aimed to assess changes in mental health and substance use in National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) Division I athletes in Southern California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology An online survey was created using the Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah). NCAA Division I athletes in Southern California completed preseason surveys querying indices of mental health, substance use, and injury in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019 to March 2020) and during the pandemic (March 2020 to March 2021). The athletes filled out the survey from June 2021 to September 2021. Participants were asked how likely they were to agree with the following statements: I have felt physically prepared for athletic competitions, I have been satisfied with my mental health, and I have had adequate sleep. Participants were also asked to compare their substance use between the two time periods. Sociodemographic information regarding participants’ age, gender, sports team, as well as year in sport and school was also collected. Group comparison analyses were performed using Fisher’s exact test. Correlations between mental health measures and other variables were examined using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Results A total of 189 athletes completed the survey (out of the 259 surveys that were started). Females were significantly less likely to feel satisfied with mental health (p < 0.01) and physically prepared for sport (p < 0.01). Across all respondents, satisfaction with mental health was positively correlated with adequate sleep (p < 0.01) and physical preparedness for sport (p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with injury (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between mental health status and history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.84). The vast majority of athletes reported no significant change in substance use pre- to post-pandemic, with no differences according to sex. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on the mental health of female versus male NCAA athletes. Mental health was correlated with sleep, physical preparedness, and being injury-free but not with a history of COVID-19 infection. Despite reports indicating increased substance use in the general population, athletes in this group reported no change in licit and illicit substance use.
ABSTRACT
Importance: Identifying the associations between severe COVID-19 and individual cardiovascular conditions in pediatric patients may inform treatment. Objective: To assess the association between previous or preexisting cardiovascular conditions and severity of COVID-19 in pediatric patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from a large, multicenter, electronic health records database in the US. The cohort included patients aged 2 months to 17 years with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 or a diagnosis code indicating infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 at 85 health systems between March 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. Exposures: Diagnoses for 26 cardiovascular conditions between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019 (before infection with SARS-CoV-2). Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was severe COVID-19, defined as need for supplemental oxygen or in-hospital death. Mixed-effects, random intercept logistic regression modeling assessed the significance and magnitude of associations between 26 cardiovascular conditions and COVID-19 severity. Multiple comparison adjustment was performed using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate procedure. Results: The study comprised 171â¯416 pediatric patients; the median age was 8 years (IQR, 2-14 years), and 50.28% were male. Of these patients, 17 065 (9.96%) had severe COVID-19. The random intercept model showed that the following cardiovascular conditions were associated with severe COVID-19: cardiac arrest (odds ratio [OR], 9.92; 95% CI, 6.93-14.20), cardiogenic shock (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.90-4.96), heart surgery (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.26-4.08), cardiopulmonary disease (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.56-2.34), heart failure (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.46-2.26), hypotension (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.38-1.79), nontraumatic cerebral hemorrhage (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.24-1.91), pericarditis (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.17-1.94), simple biventricular defects (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.29-1.62), venous embolism and thrombosis (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.11-1.73), other hypertensive disorders (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09-1.63), complex biventricular defects (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14-1.54), and essential primary hypertension (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08-1.38). Furthermore, 194 of 258 patients (75.19%) with a history of cardiac arrest were younger than 12 years. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that some previous or preexisting cardiovascular conditions are associated with increased severity of COVID-19 among pediatric patients in the US and that morbidity may be increased among individuals children younger than 12 years with previous cardiac arrest.