ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Physical activity plays an important role in public health, owing to a range of health-related benefits that it provides. Sports-related injuries are known to be an important barrier to continued physical activity. Still, the prevalence of injuries on a general population level has not yet been explored in a descriptive epidemiological investigation. The purpose of the questionnaire-based study, therefore, was to describe the prevalence of injury in a representative sample of the Danish population. METHODS: Two samples of 10,000 adults (> 15 years) and 6500 children and adolescents (7-15 years) were invited to respond to a web-based questionnaire. Of these, 3498 adults (35.0%) and 3221 children (49.6%) responded successfully. The definition of sports injury was time-loss and medical attention-based, inhibiting participants from sports activity for at least 7 days, and/or involved contact with a healthcare professional, respectively. RESULTS: Amongst adults, 642 (18.4% [95%CI: 17.1%; 19.6%]) reported to have had an injury within the past 12 months. Males reported significantly more injuries than females (difference in prevalence proportion: 9.2%-points [95%CI: 6.7%-points; 11.8%-points]). The prevalence of injuries was greatest in running (ninj = 198), football (ninj = 94) and strength training (ninj = 89). Amongst children, 621 (19.3% [95%CI: 17.9%; 20.6%]) had been injured. No difference in injury prevalence proportion existed between boys and girls. The prevalence of injuries was greatest in football (ninj = 235), handball (ninj = 86) and gymnastics (ninj = 66). CONCLUSIONS: Sports injuries seem to be very frequent in Denmark, since a total of 18.4% of the adults and 19.3% of the children reported having had one or more injuries within the past 12 months, equal to either time lost with physical activity and/or contact to the health care system.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Two-dimensional video recordings are used in clinical practice to identify footstrike pattern. However, knowledge about the reliability of this method of identification is limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate intra- and inter-rater reliability of visual identification of footstrike pattern and video time frame at initial contact during treadmill running using two-dimensional (2D) video recordings. METHODS: Thirty-one recreational runners were recorded twice, 1 week apart, with a high-speed video camera. Two blinded raters evaluated each video twice with an interval of at least 14 days. RESULTS: Kappa values for within-day identification of footstrike pattern revealed intra-rater agreement of 0.83-0.88 and inter-rater agreement of 0.50-0.63. Corresponding figures for between-day identification of footstrike pattern were 0.63-0.69 and 0.41-0.53, respectively. Identification of video time frame at initial contact ranged from five frames to 12 frames (95% limits of agreement). CONCLUSION: For clinical use, the intra-rater within-day identification of footstrike pattern is highly reliable (kappa>0.80). For the inter-rater between-day identification inconsistencies may, in worst case, occur in 36% of the identifications (kappa=0.41). The 95% limits of agreement for identification of video time frame at initial contact may, at times, allow for different identification of footstrike pattern. Clinicians should, therefore, be encouraged to continue using clinical 2D video setups for intra-rater identification of footstrike pattern, but bear in mind the restrictions related to the between day identifications.
