Pilot Study of a Tailored Model for Implementation of Injury Prevention Training in Youth Handball (the I-PROTECT Model)

Lund University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Athletic Injuries

Treatments: Behavioral: Control group; Behavioral: I-PROTECT model

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05304507

2014/713

2020-02952

Details and patient eligibility

About

This pilot study aims to test a tailored model (the I-PROTECT model) for implementation of injury prevention training in youth handball compared with current practice.

Full description

Injury prevention training is effective in reducing musculoskeletal injuries in youth athletes but has had limited public health impact because it is not widely or properly implemented. The lack of involving end-users at the individual and organizational levels is a main contributor to insufficient implementation.

This is a non-randomized pilot study included in the "Implementing injury Prevention training ROutines in TEams and Clubs in youth Team handball (I-PROTECT)" project. The overall aim of I-PROTECT is to achieve wide-spread, sustained and high-fidelity use of evidence-based injury prevention training in youth handball through behavior change at multiple levels within the sports delivery system (individual and organizational levels). The I-PROTECT model is evidence-based, theory-informed, and context-specific injury prevention training specifically tailored for youth handball players, incorporating physical and psychological components and an associated implementation strategy. The process of developing the I-PROTECT model has been described.

In a prospective single-case study (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT04481958), the I-PROTECT model was implemented and tested in all youth teams (n=19) of two clubs during the 2020/2021 handball season. Due to Covid pandemic restrictions, handball training was only performed for about 2 months, thus, affecting intervention implementation and data collection. To further evaluate, develop, and finalize the I-PROTECT model, we will in the current study conduct pilot testing in clubs not involved in developing the model, before testing the model in a larger scale study.

Two clubs in Sweden offering handball for youth players will be recruited by convenience sampling. One club will use the I-PROTECT model (experimental) and one club will use current practice (control). Intervention will be approx. 6 weeks. Data will be collected among stakeholders (players, coaches, club administrators, caregivers) before, during and after the intervention. Parametric, or non-parametric, tests will be used as appropriate for main and secondary outcomes. Data will be used to calculate sample size in the main outcome for a larger scale study as well as to assess implementation determinants.

Enrollment: 597 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Stakeholders (players, coaches, caregivers, club administrators) of all youth teams (13-17 years) in two community handball clubs will be eligible for participation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Players: ages 13-17 years and training ≥2 times/week in a team
• Coaches: leading ≥1 training session/week
• Caregivers: directly associated with the eligible players
• Club administrators: engagement in the issues of sports injury, coach education or policy development for youth players

Exclusion Criteria:

• Employed/paid players
• Stakeholder other than the groups listed in inclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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597 participants in 2 patient groups

I-PROTECT model

Experimental group

Description:

The I-PROTECT model is an end-user-driven intervention including evidence-based, theory-informed, and context-specific injury prevention training for youth handball, and an associated implementation strategy.

Treatment:

Behavioral: I-PROTECT model

Control group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Youth coaches in the control group club will be asked to use injury prevention training available in the coach education material ("Ready for handball"), i.e., current practice in Sweden.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control group