ABSTRACT
AIM: To describe the acceptability and the perceptions of athletes and staff members (ie, end-users) towards an online sports-health surveillance system. METHODS: A pilot study with a mixed-methods approach was pursued. Descriptive analysis was conducted to present the adherence of judo (n=34), swimming (n=21) and volleyball (n=14) athletes to an online registration of their sport exposure and any health complaints between April 2014 and January 2015. End-users' perceptions towards the system were investigated qualitatively with semistructured interviews (n=21). Qualitative analysis was based on the constant comparative method using principles of the grounded theory. RESULTS: The response rates of judo, swimming and volleyball athletes were 50% (SD 23), 61% (SD 27) and 56% (SD 25), respectively. Most athletes found it simple to register their sport exposure and health complaints online; however, personal communication was still preferred for this purpose. The system facilitated the communication between medical and trainer staff, who were able to identify in the system reports health complaints from athletes that were not necessarily communicated face-to-face. Therefore, staff members reported that they were able to intervene earlier to prevent minor health complaints from becoming severe health problems. However, staff members expected higher adherence of athletes to the online follow-ups, and athletes expected to receive feedback on their inputs to the system. CONCLUSION: An online system can be used in sporting settings complementary to regular strategies for monitoring athletes' health. However, providing feedback on athletes' inputs is important to maintain their adherence to such an online system.
ABSTRACT
O bailarino é um artista com demandas físicas comparáveis às de um atleta de alta performance e a um profissional de dedicação integral, com um longo período de formação. A saúde do bailarino apresenta especificidades, ainda pouco investigadas. As lesões musculoesqueléticas são o maior enfoque da literatura, em virtude das altas incidências. Muitos são os fatores de risco de lesão descritos entre bailarinos. Citam-se idade, gênero, tempo de prática, índice de massa corpórea, treino suplementar, fatores ambientais e biomecânicos. Mais recentemente, foram descritos fatores psicológicos. O tratamento das lesões muitas vezes é postergado em virtude dos compromissos profissionais e do medo do afastamento. Há evidências de que as estratégias de tratamento e prevenção podem diminuir a incidência de futuras lesões. A literatura é recente e heterogênea, o que limita conclusões mais consistentes. Nota-se que fatores relativos à dinâmica e ao processo de trabalho ou a aspectos organizacionais são raramente pesquisados. Uma nova forma de aproximação é necessária para melhor compreensão do processo saúde/doença do bailarino profissional.
The dancer is an artist with high physical demands who can be compared with an athlete of a high performance and a professional of integral devotion, with a long period of formation. Dancers health has specific features that are still little investigated so far. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most frequent focus of the studies, due to their high incidence. There are many risk factors described in dancers, like: individuals characteristics as age, gender and time of practice, body mass index (BMI), supplementary training, environmental factors, biomechanical factors, and more recently, psychological factors have been more focused in the studies. Also, the treatment of injuries is usually delayed because of professional commitments, aggravated by the fear of missing show sessions. Preliminary evidences suggest that appropriate strategies of treatment and prevention could avoid the development of further injuries. The literature on this issue is young and very heterogeneous, limiting more consistent conclusions. It is also observed that factors related to work process and dynamics, as well as work organization, are poorly approached, so far. So, new approaches are required in order to improve the understanding on the health disease process in professional dancers.
