Through the athlete lens: A novel study exploring the perspectives and experiences of injury prevention practices in women playing elite Australian Football

Abstract

Background: Efficacious injury prevention programs exist, yet translation to practice in real-world settings is poor. Little is known about how women playing elite team ball-sports perceive and experience injury prevention programs in practice. Understanding the end-user's (athlete's) perspective is essential to improve program uptake and adherence.

Objective: To explore the perspectives and experiences of injury prevention practices in athletes from the elite Australian Football League for Women (AFLW).

Methods: Convenience sample of 13 athletes from three AFLW clubs. Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, analysed with a thematic analysis approach, and classified within the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM).

Results: Women playing elite Australian Football: (1) believe injury prevention programs have multiple aims and benefits, (2) perceive varying injury prevention practices between and within AFLW clubs, (3) believe injury prevention program adoption and implementation is complex and multi-factorial, and (4) think implementing injury prevention programs in the AFLW could be enhanced through education and resources. Mapping our results onto the SEM highlighted that athletes perceive multiple ecological levels (i.e. individual, interpersonal, community, and organizational) are involved in sports injury prevention.

Conclusions: Multi-level engagement strategies are required to enhance injury prevention program adoption and implementation and to maximise athlete adherence.

Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Female; Implementation; Knee; Qualitative research; Sport.