Caroline F. Finch

Abdominal Obesity and Physical Inactivity as Risk Factors for NIDDM and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Indian, Creole, and Chinese Mauritians

Objective We wanted to determine whether obesity, abdominal fat distribution, and physical inactivity act similarly and independently as risk factors for noninsulin- dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in Hindu and Muslim Asian Indians, African-origin Creoles, and Chinese Mauritians. Research Design and Methods We examined a population-based random cluster sample of 5080 adult subjects from the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Glucose tolerance was assessed with a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and World Health Organization criteria. Results Univariate data and multiple logistic regression models indicated that age, family history of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), waisthip ratio (WHR), and physical inactivity conveyed similar risk for NIDDM (and IGT) in each ethnic group. After adjusting for all other factors, Hindu ethnicity conferred additional risk for NIDDM (but not IGT) in men, but in women there were no clear ethnic differences. Although BMI and WHR were independently significant risk factors, WHR conveyed relatively stronger risk for NIDDM than BMI in women, whereas the converse was true in men. For ethnic groups combined, the independent odds ratios for IGT associated with moderate and low physical activity scores (relative to high) were 1.56 and 1.71 (P < 0.05), respectively, in men and 1.32 and 1.69 (P < 0.05) in women. In subjects with asymptomatic NIDDM diagnosed during the survey, the independent odds ratios were 1.96 and 2.00 (P < 0.05) in men and 1.73 and 2.70 (P < 0.05) in women. Conclusions These data indicate that BMI, abdominally distributed fat, and physical inactivity are important independent risk factors for both IGT and NIDDM in diverse ethnic groups. Attributable risk fractions for Mauritius suggest that populationwide modification of levels of these risk factors could potentially result in substantially lower occurrence of NIDDM (and IGT). Such interventions should be attempted in high-risk populations.

How valid is a self reported 12 month sports injury history

Background: A past injury history is one of the most commonly cited risk factors for sports injury. Often, injury history data are collected by self report surveys, with the potential for recall bias. Objective: To assess the accuracy of a 12 month injury history recall in a population of 70 community level Australian football players. Methods: The retrospective, self reported injury histories of 70 community level Australian football players were compared with prospective injury surveillance records for the same 12 month period. The accuracy of the players’ recall of the number of injuries, injured body regions, and injury diagnosis was assessed. Results: Recall accuracy declined as the level of detail requested increased. All players could recall whether or not they were injured during the previous year. Almost 80% were able to accurately recall the number of injuries and body regions injured, but not the diagnoses, whereas only 61% were able to record the exact number, body region, and diagnosis of each injury sustained. Discussion: The findings of this study highlight the difficulty of using retrospectively collected injury data for research purposes. Any injury research relying on self reported injury history data to establish the relation between injury history and injury risk should consider the validity of the self report injury histories.

Mandatory bicycle helmet use following a decade of helmet promotion in Victoria, Australia--an evaluation.

On July 1, 1990, a law requiring wearing of an approved safety helmet by all bicyclists (unless exempted) came into effect in Victoria, Australia. Some of the more important steps that paved the way for this important initiative (believed to be the first statewide legislation of its type in the world) are described, and the initiatives effects are analysed. There was an immediate increase in average helmet-wearing rates from 31% in March 1990 to 75% in March 1991, although teenagers continued to show lower rates than younger children and adults. The number of insurance claims from bicyclists killed or admitted to hospital after sustaining a head injury decreased by 48% and 70% in the first and second years after the law, respectively. Analysis of the injury data also showed a 23% and 28% reduction in the number of bicyclists killed or admitted to hospital who did not sustain head injuries in the first and second post-law years, respectively. For Melbourne, where regular annual surveys of helmet wearing have been conducted, it was possible to fit a logistic regression model that related the reduction in head injuries to increased helmet wearing. Surveys in Melbourne also indicated a 36% reduction in bicycle use by children during the first year of the law and an estimated increase in adult use of 44%.

Predictors of hamstring injury at the elite level of Australian football

Background: Hamstring injuries are the most common injury sustained by elite Australian football players and result in substantial costs because of missed training time, unavailability for matches and lost player payments. Evidence to support proposed risk factors for hamstring injury is generally lacking, limiting the development of appropriate prevention strategies.

High Prevalence of NIDDM and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Indian, Creole, and Chinese Mauritians

Mauritius, a multiethnic island nation in the southwestern Indian Ocean, has one of the worlds highest diabetes mortality rates. The prevalence of both impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was investigated in 5080 Muslim and Hindu Indian, Creole (mixed African, European, and Indian origin), and Chinese Mauritian adults aged 25–74 yr who were selected by random cluster sampling. Based on a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and World Health Organization criteria, the age-standardized prevalence of IGT was significantly greater in women (19.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.1–21.2) than in men (11.7%, CI 10.5–12.8). By contrast, the prevalence of NIDDM was similar in men (12.1%, Cl 10.9–13.4) and women (11.7%, Cl 10.5–12.8) for all ethnic groups combined. The sex difference in IGT prevalence was seen in all ethnic groups, but for NIDDM, the sex difference was not consistent across ethnic groups. However, age-and sex-standardized prevalence of IGT and NIDDM was remarkably similar across ethnic groups (16.2 and 12.4% in Hindu Indians, 15.3 and 13.3% in Muslim Indians, 17.5 and 10.4% in Creoles, and 16.6 and 11.9% in Chinese, respectively). Three new cases of diabetes were diagnosed for every two known cases. The high prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance in Indian subjects is consistent with studies of other migrant Indian communities, but the findings in Creole and, in particular, Chinese subjects are unexpected. Potent environmental factors shared between ethnic groups in Mauritius may be responsible for the epidemic of glucose intolerance.

A sports setting matrix for understanding the implementation context for community sport

There has been increasing recognition of the need for effectiveness research within the real-world intervention context of community sport. This is important because, even if interventions have been shown to be efficacious in controlled trials, if they are not also widely adopted and sustained, then it is unlikely that they will have a public health impact. There is very little information about how to best conduct such studies, but application of health promotion frameworks, such as the RE-AIM framework, to evaluate the public health impact of interventions could potentially help to understand the implementation context. Care needs to be taken when directly applying the RE-AIM framework, however, because the definitions for each of its dimensions will depend on the level/s the intervention is targeted at. This paper provides a novel extension to the RE-AIM framework (the RE-AIM Sports Setting Matrix (RE-AIM SSM)), which accounts for the fact that many sports injury interventions need to be targeted at multiple levels of sports delivery. Accordingly, the RE-AIM components also need to be measured across all tiers of possible influence on the rate of uptake and effectiveness. Specific examples are given for coachdelivered exercise training interventions. The RE-AIM SSM is specific to the community sports setting implementation context and could be used to guide the delivery of future sports safety, and other health promotion, interventions in this area.

An Overview of Some Definitional Issues for Sports Injury Surveillance

SummaryInjury surveillance is the ongoing collection of data describing the occurrence of, and factors associated with, injury. The success of any sports injury surveillance system and its wide scale applicability is dependent upon valid and reliable definitions of sports injury, injury severity and sports participation.Published sports injury reports are often difficult to interpret and compare with other published data because of different data collection and/or analysis methods. Standardised data collection methodologies including definitions are crucial for improving the comparability and interpretation of published data. Attention needs to be directed towards the definition of both risk and exposure factors since the validity and usefulness of the outcomes of research activities, data collection and surveillance systems rely on these. International consensus on appropriate definitions would greatly assist the collection of comparable and reliable sports injury data.Standardised definitions are also needed to answer questions such as: ‘what is a sport? When should an activity be considered to be recreational rather than sport? Who is a sports participant? How should sports participation be measured? What is a meaningful measure of exposure to injury risk? What is a sports injury? How should sports injury severity be measured? How severe must an injury be before it should be considered to be a sports injury for surveillance purposes?’. Agreed definitions and answers to these questions are essential before injury surveillance is established.Sports injury data is needed to guide injury prevention activities, to set and monitor sports safety policies and interventions, and as the basis of sports injury prevention research. All sports injury surveillance systems should therefore collect information about the epidemiology of sports injuries and their outcomes in a form that is of relevance across a broad range of potential users of the data.

Risk factors for hamstring injuries in community level Australian football

Objectives: To identify risk factors for hamstring injury at the community level of Australian football. Methods: A total of 126 community level Australian football players participated in this prospective cohort study. To provide baseline measurements, they completed a questionnaire and had a musculoskeletal screen during the 2000 preseason. All were monitored over the season. Injury surveillance and exposure data were collected for the full season. Survival analysis was used to identify independent predictors of hamstring injury. Results: A hamstring injury was the first injury of the season in 20 players (16%). After adjustment for exposure, increasing age and decreased quadriceps flexibility were identified as significant independent predictors of the time to sustaining a hamstring injury. Older age (⩾23 years) was associated with an increased risk of hamstring injury (RR 3.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 14.0; p  =  0.044). Players with increased quadriceps flexibility (as measured by the modified Thomas test) were less likely to sustain a hamstring injury (RR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; p  =  0.022). Conclusions: The findings of this study can be used in the development of hamstring injury prevention strategies and to identify Australian football players at increased risk of hamstring injury.

High adherence to a neuromuscular injury prevention programme (FIFA 11+) improves functional balance and reduces injury risk in Canadian youth female football players: A cluster randomised trial

Background A protective effect on injury risk in youth sports through neuromuscular warm-up training routines has consistently been demonstrated. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the quantity and quality of coach-led injury prevention programmes and its impact on the physical performance of players. Objective The aim of this cluster-randomised controlled trial was to assess whether different delivery methods of an injury prevention programme (FIFA 11+) to coaches could improve player performance, and to examine the effect of player adherence on performance and injury risk. Method During the 2011 football season (May–August), coaches of 31 tiers 1–3 level teams were introduced to the 11+ through either an unsupervised website or a coach-focused workshop with and without additional on-field supervisions. Playing exposure, adherence to the 11+, and injuries were recorded for female 13-year-old to 18-year-old players. Performance testing included the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), single-leg balance, triple hop and jumping-over-a-bar tests. Results Complete preseason and postseason performance tests were available for 226 players (66.5%). Compared to the unsupervised group, single-leg balance (OR=2.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.6) and the anterior direction of the SEBT improved significantly in the onfield supervised group of players (OR=4.7; 95% CI 2.2 to 7.1), while 2-leg jumping performance decreased (OR=−5.1; 95% CI −9.9 to −0.2). However, significant improvements in 5 of 6 reach distances in the SEBT were found, favouring players who highly adhered to the 11+. Also, injury risk was lower for those players (injury rate ratio, IRR=0.28, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.79). Conclusions Different delivery methods of the FIFA 11+ to coaches influenced players’ physical performance minimally. However, high player adherence to the 11+ resulted in significant improvements in functional balance and reduced injury risk.

Developing Australia's first statewide trauma registry: what are the lessons?

Trauma registries, like disease registries, provide an important analysis tool to assess the management of patient care. Trauma registries are well established and relatively common in the USA and have been used to change legislation, promote trauma prevention and to evaluate trauma system effectiveness. In Australia, the first truly statewide trauma registry was established in Victoria in 2001 with an estimated capture of 1700 major trauma cases annually. The Victorian State Trauma Registry, managed by the Victorian State Trauma Outcomes Registry and Monitoring (VSTORM) group, was established in response to a ministerial review of trauma and emergency services undertaken in 1997 to advise the Victorian Government on a best practice model of trauma service provision that was responsive to the particular needs of critically ill trauma patients. This taskforce recommended the establishment of a new system of care for major trauma patients in Victoria and a statewide trauma registry to monitor this new system. The development of the Victorian state trauma registry has shown that there are certain issues that must be resolved for successful implementation of any system‐wide registry. This paper describes the issues faced by VSTORM in developing, implementing and maintaining a statewide trauma registry.