Rationale: Poor adherence to asthma controller medications results in poor treatment outcomes. Objectives: To compare controller medication adherence and clinical outcomes in 612 adults with poorly controlled asthma randomized to one of two different treatment decision-making models or to usual care. Methods: In shared decision making (SDM), nonphysician clinicians and patients negotiated a treatment regimen that accommodated patient goals and preferences. In clinician decision making, treatment was prescribed without specifically eliciting patient goals/ preferences. The otherwise identical intervention protocols both provided asthma education and involved two in-person and three brief phone encounters. Measurements and Main Results: Refill adherence was measured using continuous medication acquisition (CMA) indices-the total days' supply acquired per year divided by 365 days. Cumulative controller medication dose was measured in beclomethasone canister equivalents. In follow-up Year 1, compared with usual care, SDM resulted in: significantly better controller adherence (CMA, 0.67 vs. 0.46; P , 0.0001) and long-acting b-agonist adherence (CMA, 0.51 vs. 0.40; P 5 0.0225); higher cumulative controller medication dose (canister equivalent, 10.9 vs. 5.2; P , 0.0001); significantly better clinical outcomes (asthma-related quality of life, health care use, rescue medication use, asthma control, and lung function). In Year 2, compared with usual care, SDM resulted in significantly lower rescue medication use, the sole clinical outcome available for that year. Compared with clinician decision making, SDM resulted in: significantly better controller adherence (CMA, 0.67 vs. 0.59; P 5 0.03) and long-acting b-agonist adherence (CMA, 0.51 vs. 0.41; P 5 0.0143); higher cumulative controller dose (CMA, 10.9 vs. 9.1; P 5 0.005); and quantitatively, but not significantly, better outcomes on all clinical measures. Conclusions: Negotiating patients' treatment decisions significantly improves adherence to asthma pharmacotherapy and clinical outcomes. Clinical trials registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00217945 and NCT00149526).

Initial ground contact flatfooted or with the hindfoot, knee abduction and increased hip flexion may be risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The incidence of catastrophic head injuries in football has remained low since the advent of the modern day football helmet in the early 1970s. The incidence of catastrophic head injuries in football is dramatically higher at the high school level than at the college level. Although the reason for this discrepancy is unclear, an unacceptably high percentage of high school players were playing with residual symptoms from a prior head injury. Coaches, athletes, athletic trainers, and medical personnel need to adhere to the guideline that an athlete with any neurologic symptoms from a head injury should be strongly discouraged from returning to play.

Sports-related injuries are an issue of concern in high school sports athletes. A prospective cohort study of injury risk factors was conducted from 1996 to 1999 among varsity high school athletes in 12 sports in 100 North Carolina high schools. Data were collected by trained school personnel. Unadjusted and adjusted incidence rates and rate ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models. The overall rate of injury was 2.08 per 1,000 athlete-exposures (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.79, 2.41). At 3.54 per 1,000 athlete-exposures (95% CI: 2.87, 4.37), football had the highest rate of injury of all sports. The adjusted rate ratio for athletes with a history of injury, compared with those without a prior injury, was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.69, 2.22). The injury rate rose with each year of playing experience (rate ratio=1.06, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.12). In a subanalysis restricted to gender-comparable sports, boys had a higher rate of injury than did girls (rate ratio=1.33, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.79). All other factors did not appear to be independent predictors of the injury rate. The influence of prior injury suggests that proper rehabilitation and primary prevention of the initial injury are important strategies for injury control.

Objective: To estimate the economic cost of injuries in a population of US high school varsity athletes. Design and Setting: The North Carolina High School Athletic Injury Study, conducted from 1996 to 1999, was a prospective cohort study of injury incidence and severity. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select athletic teams from 100 high schools in North Carolina. An injury cost model was used to estimate the economic cost of injury. Participants: Varsity athletes from 12 sports: football, girls' and boy's soccer, girls' and boys' track, girls' and boy's basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling, volleyball, and cheerleading. Main outcome measures: Descriptive data were collected at the time of injury. Three types of costs were estimated: medical, human capital (medical costs plus loss of future earnings), and comprehensive (human capital costs plus lost quality of life). Results: The annual statewide estimates were $9.9 million in medical costs, $44.7 million in human capital costs, and $144.6 million in comprehensive costs. The mean medical cost was $709 per injury (95% CI $542 to $927), $2223 per injury (95% CI $1709 to $2893) in human capital costs, and $10 432 per injury (95% CI $8062 to $13 449) in comprehensive costs. Sport and competition division were significant predictors of injury costs. Conclusions: Injuries among high school athletes represent a significant economic cost to society. Further research should estimate costs in additional populations to begin to develop cost-effective sports injury prevention programs.