AimWe investigated the extent and characteristics of injuries in contemporary dance students.MethodsDuring one academic year, 134 students of Bachelor dance and Bachelor dance teacher from Codarts University of the Arts (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) were prospectively monitored monthly, using the Performing Artist and Athlete Health Monitor which includes the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems.Results130 students were included in the analyses. The response rate of monthly completed questionnaires was 80%. During the academic year, 97% of students reported at least one injury, mental complaint or other health problem. The 1-year injury incidence proportion was 81%. Of these injured students, 58% were substantially injured (ie, problems leading to moderate or severe reductions in training volume or performance or complete inability to participate in activities). The monthly injury proportion (all injuries) ranged from 23% to 43% and for substantial injuries from 6% to 17%. The injury incidence rate per 1000 hours dance exposure was 1.9 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.2). Ankle/foot (30%), lower back (17%) and knee (15%) were the most common sites of injury.ConclusionContemporary dance students are at high risk for injuries. Injury prevention programmes among contemporary dance students should focus on the ankle/foot, lower back and knee.

BackgroundA thorough knowledge of the epidemiology and severity of injuries and illness in youth female elite sports is lacking due to the methodological challenges involved in recording them. In this study, the prevalence and incidence of injuries and illness are assessed among youth female elite athletes. Instead of solely focusing on time-loss injuries, our study included all substantial and non-substantial health problems (ie, injuries, mental problems and illnesses).MethodsSixty young elite Dutch female athletes (age: 16.6 years (SD: 2.3), weight: 58.3 kg (SD: 15.1), height: 154.1 cm (SD: 44.2)) participating in soccer (n=23), basketball (n=22) and gymnastic (n=15) talent development programmes were prospectively followed during one season (September 2014 to April 2015). To collect health problem data, all athletes completed the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems every other week. Main outcome measures were average prevalence of injury and incidence density of injury.ResultsAt any given time, 47.9% of the athletes reported an injury (95% CI 43.6% to 52.6%) and 9.1% reported an illness (95% CI 5.1 to 19.0). The average injury incidence density was 8.6 per 1000 hours of athlete exposure. The average number of self-reported injuries per athlete per season was significantly higher in soccer athletes (4.3±2.7) than in basketball athletes (2.6±2.0) (p=0.03) and not significantly higher than in the gymnastic squad. The knee and the ankle were two of the most common injury locations for all squads. Knee injuries in basketball and soccer and heel injuries in the gymnastic squad had the highest impact on sports participation.ConclusionHigh prevalence of self-reported injuries among talented female athletes suggests that future efforts towards their prevention are warranted.

Background/aimWe aimed to investigate the magnitude and characteristics of injuries and illnesses in Dutch physical education teacher education (PETE) students.MethodsDuring the first 21 weeks of the academic year, 245 first-year students registered their health problems online using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems.ResultsA total of 276 injuries, 140 illnesses and 69 unclassified health problems were reported. We found an injury incidence rate of 11.7 injuries per 1000 hours (95% CI 10.4 to 13.2). Injury characteristics were: 42% overuse injuries, 62% causing absence from sports (median injury time loss=2 days) and 64% reinjuries. Most injuries were located at the knee, lower leg (anterior) and ankle. The duration of the illnesses was short (<1 week).Summary and conclusionsWe implemented a new registration method in the PETE academic programme. The results show that the risk for health problems is high for PETE students. Prevention is necessary, and to decrease injuries prevention programmes should focus on the lower extremities.

AimThe amount of injuries, illnesses and mental health problems was calculated among circus arts students, using a method designed to capture more than just time-loss and/or medical injuries. Furthermore, injury incidence rate, injury incidence proportions, anatomical injury location and severity of injuries were assessed.MethodsA total of 44 first-year, second-year and third-year circus arts students were prospectively followed during one academic year. Every month, all students were asked to complete questionnaires by using the online Performing Artist and Athlete Health Monitor, which includes the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems.ResultsIn total, 41 students completed the entire follow-up period. The response rate was 82.9%. During the academic year, all (100%) students reported a health problem. A total of 261 health problems were reported consisting of 184 injuries (70.5%), 51 illnesses (19.5%), 15 mental problems (5.0%) and 11 other health problems (3.1%). The injury incidence rate was 3.3 injuries per 1000 hours (95% CI 2.7 to 3.9). Monthly incidence proportion for substantial injuries (ie, problems leading to moderate or severe reductions in training volume or in performance or complete inability to participate in activities) ranged from 6.8% to 34.1%. Shoulder (n=51; 27.7%), lower back (n=29; 15.8%), wrist (n=26; 14.1%) and ankle (n=17; 9.2%) were the most reported injuries. The average duration of the injuries was 6.9 days (median=2.0; SD=15.0).ConclusionsWe implemented a new registration method for circus artists, which captures a complete picture of the burden of health problems in circus students. Our study showed that the burden of injuries is high in this population.

Data from both cohorts confirm the high prevalence of joint symptoms in haemochromatosis predating the diagnosis by many years. Discriminatory features of the arthropathy include the involvement of MCP joints and ankles at a relatively young age in the absence of trauma, all of which are unusual features of primary osteoarthritis (OA). The finding of this presentation should prompt diagnostic tests for haemochromatosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of COVID-19 preventive measures on the mental health of performing arts students. In a prospective cohort study, performing arts students (N = 213) from Codarts Rotterdam, University of the Arts, were invited to monitor their health during one academic year (September 2019–May 2020). Every month, students completed items on mental health complaints, stress, and sleep quality. Chi-square tests and repeated-measures ANOVA with deviation contrasts were performed to investigate whether COVID-19 preventive measures were associated with changes in mental health complaints, stress scores, and sleep quality. During the COVID-19 lockdown, subjective mental health, Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5), and items on loneliness were additionally completed by the respondents. A total of 98 students (46.0%) were included in the analyses. The 3-month prevalence of mental health complaints was significantly higher during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to the two pre-COVID-19 periods (p &lt; 0.001). Mean stress scores were significantly lower for February (35.20) and March (36.41) when compared to the overall mean (40.38). Sleep quality scores (mean) were significantly higher for April (6.90), and May (6.89) when compared to overall mean (6.58). Furthermore, at least 75.5% of the participants dealt with moderate to very severe loneliness in all 3 months during the COVID-19 lockdown. During lockdown, performing arts students perceived less stress and their sleep quality increased. However, the prevalence of mental health complaints increased. Besides, 3 out 4 students dealt with moderate to very severe loneliness.

The purpose of this study was to gain more insight into the prevalence and characteristics of injuries among junior female soccer players and to explore different monitoring methods. A cohort of 24 female soccer players (mean age 17.2 ± 1.2 years) enrolled in the Dutch national high-performance program was followed during a five month period (August–December 2014). All players completed the study. The OSTRC Questionnaire on Health Problems was used to record self-reported injuries and illnesses on a 2-weekly basis. In this questionnaire, 4 questions are used to monitor the severity (range 0–100) of any physical problem. Subsequently, all players were asked to retrospectively report all time-loss injuries after the 5 month period. The response rate over the five month period for the OSTRC questionnaire was 97%. A total of 256 questionnaires were filled in by all 24 players. Based on the OSTRC questionnaire, 63 injuries were reported. The most commonly reported injuries were located at the ankle (18%), knee (14%) and the front side of the upper leg (14%). Most injuries were acute (76%). One out of four injuries (24%) was a re-injury. The duration of injuries ranged from 0 to 71 days, with a median of 2 days. In total, 17 time-loss injuries were reported. The most commonly reported time-loss injuries were located at the ankle (29%), the knee (17%) and the back side of the upper leg (12%). Time-loss ranged from 9 to 65 days, with a median of 31 days. The presented data show that participation in training and matches with physical discomfort is common. However, these physical complaints do not necessarily lead to time-loss.

BackgroundA thorough knowledge of the epidemiology of health problems in youth female elite sports is lacking, as most studies define health problems as time loss from participation.ObjectiveTo prospective investigate the burden of health problems in young female elite athletes.DesignDescriptive epidemiology study.SettingParticipants were involved in the Dutch national high-performance program of the Centre for Top sport and Education Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Patients (or Participants)Sixty young elite Dutch female athletes (mean age 16.6; SD=2.3 years) participating in soccer (N=23), basketball (N=22) and gymnastic (N=15) were prospectively followed during one competitive season. All athletes completed the study.Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors)During the pre-season period, age, height and body weight was recorded. To collect health problem data, all athletes were asked to complete the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems every other week during the entire season.Main Outcome MeasurementsThe prevalence and incidence density of all health problems was calculated. To calculate the relative impact of injuries between the various sporting groups, a cumulative severity score was calculated for each anatomical area.ResultsAt any given time 47.9% of the athletes had an injury (95% CI 43.6% to 52.6%). The average injury incidence density was 8.6 per 1000 hours of athlete exposure. The average number of reported injuries per athlete per season was significantly higher in soccer athletes (4.3±2.7) than in basketball athletes (2.6±2.0) (p=0.03). Injuries located at the knee in basketball and soccer and injuries located at the heel in the gymnastic squad had the highest impact on sports participation.ConclusionsThe new injury methodology captured a more complete picture of the burden of health complaints in the athletes, in contrasts to what is found using standard surveillance methods.