ABSTRACT
Background. Taekwondo (TKD) like many combat sports utilizes weight as a measure to categorize competitors. In an attempt to gain advantage over opponents, athletes practice rapid weight loss to qualify for the lowest weight class possible. This practice is routine despite being fundamentally dangerous to the health of athletes. Height is a measurement that cannot be exploited for competitive advantage and has the potential to be a healthier alternative for sport classifications. Purpose and aim. This study evaluated the relationship between weight and height categories in classifying competitive senior TKD athletes for the potential of using height as a healthier grouping method. Methods. The height and weight of 118 male (n=83) and female (n=35) athletes were measured by either physical measurement during weigh-in at the Canadian National Taekwondo Championships (n=31) or following Covid-19 restrictions, athletes (n=87) were given an online survey for height and weight. The athletes were categorized by sex and senior Olympic weight category. The athletes were then grouped by 4 proposed height categories based on CDC height weight growth charts. Results. We found that 80.72% of male athletes remained within ±1 category when categorized by height and 94.29% of female athletes remained within ±1 category when categorized by height. Conclusions. Height categorization does little to disrupt current competition cohorts while disincentivizing unhealthy rapid weight loss practices in TKD athletes and providing more equitable competition by matching athletes of similar height and reach. © Idōkan Poland Association
ABSTRACT
Background: Low neighbourhood socioeconomic status (N-SES) is associated with increased injury incidence. We examined the relationship between N-SES and nonaccidental trauma (NAT), defined as blunt and penetrating assaults, during the COVID-19 pandemic in a major Canadian city. Methods: Our institutional trauma registry data were retrospectively analyzed for all severely injured (Injury Severity Score [ISS] > 12) adult (> 18 yr) patients admitted between January 2016 and September 2020 with nonaccidental trauma (NAT). The period from Jan. 1, 2016, to Feb. 28, 2020, was defined as pre-COVID-19, and the period from Mar. 1 to Sept. 30, 2020, was defined as COVID-19. Addresses of patients sustaining NAT were geocoded and matched to 15 local geographic areas (LGAs), which were divided into quintiles on the basis of median household income. Changes in proportions of NAT during COVID-19 were mapped to LGA using geospatial analysis software. Correlation between quintile and NAT was performed using the Spearman rho. Results: In this study, 439 patients sustained NAT: 386 (88%) were injured during the pre-COVID-19 period, and 53 (12%) were injured during the COVID-19 period. Six of 15 LGAs experienced increases in NAT during the COVID-19 period, 2 of which were statistically significant. There was a strong and significant inverse correlation between income quintile and NAT (Spearman rho correlation coefficient -0.55, p = 0.035) in the pre-COVID-19 time frame. This correlation became more pronounced during the COVID-19 period (Spearman rho correlation coefficient -0.60, p = 0.018). Conclusion: Low N-SES was associated with increased incidence of NAT during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the impact of income disparity on an already-vulnerable population. Further work is needed to determine whether other trauma-related health outcomes due to disparities in N-SES have been amplified during the pandemic.