The Sports-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Para-sport Study (SRIIPS)
Condition: Athletic Injuries
MeSH terms: Wounds and Injuries; Athletic Injuries
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The overall aim of this project is to gain an in-depth understanding of the epidemiology of
      sports-related injuries and illnesses in parasport in order to assist the identification and
      development of specific injury prevention strategies adapted to parasport.
    

Detailed description: 
      The Paralympic Games is today one of the largest sport event in the world. During the last
      decades parasport has in many ways become elite sport, allowing people with disabilities to
      achieve extraordinary heights of functional capability. With the growing number of athletes
      there is an increased interest in athletes' health and safety, both to enhance sports
      performance and to prevent injuries.

      Even though it is well-known that participation in sports places the athlete at risk for
      injuries, there are few studies covering sports-related injuries and illnesses in parasport
      (SRIIP). Today, some injuries and illnesses are known to be preventable. However, this
      requires regular monitoring of internal and external load during athletic preparation.
      Standardized injury surveillances have been implemented within several sports for
      abled-bodied athletes, but such studies do not yet exist within parasport.

      In our review article (Fagher & Lexell 2014) the investigators showed that existing studies
      of sports-related injuries in athletes with disabilities have a variable quality and that
      specific disability related factors have not been examined. Further studies are therefore
      warranted to obtain an increased in-depth knowledge of SRIIP. With a systematic longitudinal
      surveillance system tailored to parasport it would be possible to observe trends and risk
      factors over time, and thereby have a basis for developing specific preventive measures.

      The overall aim of this project is to gain an in-depth understanding of the epidemiology of
      SRIIP in parasport in order to assist the identification and development of specific injury
      prevention strategies adapted to parasport.

      The specific aims are: i) to design and implement a study protocol for prospective
      epidemiological studies of SRIIP in parasport; ii) to prospectively estimate the annual
      incidence of SRIIP among Swedish Paralympic athletes; and iii) to explore risk factors and
      mechanisms for sustaining SRIIP based on athlete exposure in order to form the basis for
      moving towards safe participation in parasport.
    

Intervention name(s): Incidence of sports-related injuries and illnesses
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): The SRIIP-study is an epidemiological cohort study aimed to prospectively collect self-report data on sports-related injuries and illnesses incidence and risk exposure during training and competition for approximately one year among Swedish para-athletes.
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The total population of athletes (n=approximately 100) in the Swedish Paralympic program,
        which covers possbile candidates for the Paralympic Games.
      
Keywords: Epidemiology; Sports medicine; Research protocol; Athletic injuries; Sports for persons with disabilities