International consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injuries and illnesses in golf

Abstract

Epidemiological studies of injury in elite and recreational golfers have lacked consistency in methods and definitions employed and this limits comparison of results across studies. In their sports-generic statement, the Consensus Group recruited by the IOC (2020) called for sport-specific consensus statements. On invitation by International Golf Federation, a group of international experts in sport and exercise medicine, golf research and sports injury/illness epidemiology was selected to prepare a golf-specific consensus statement. Methodological stages included literature review and initial drafting, online feedback from the consensus group, revision and second draft, virtual consensus meetings and completion of final version. This consensus statement provides golf-specific recommendations for data collection and research reporting including: (i) injury and illness definitions, and characteristics with golf-specific examples, (ii) definitions of golf-specific exposure measurements and recommendations for the calculation of prevalence and incidence, (iii) injury, illness and exposure report forms for medical staff and for golfers, and (iv) a baseline questionnaire. Implementation of the consensus methodology will enable comparison among golf studies and with other sports. It facilitates analysis of causative factors for injuries and illness in golf, and can also be used to evaluate the effects of prevention programmes to support the health of golfers.

Para sport translation of the IOC consensus on recording and reporting of data for injury and illness in sport

“…The collection and reporting of accurate health data constitutes the first step in this important process and has been identified as a target for improvement in the Para sport setting. [1,2,15] To gain consistency in definitions, collection and subsequent reporting of injury and illness data, the IOC produced a consensus statement early in 2020 [16], with several follow-up papers to detail sport specific nuances in data collection and reporting (Tennis translation [17]; Golf translation [18]) The translation of the IOC consensus statement guides the Para sport researcher through the complexities of describing athlete impairment types, classifications, and the health problems associated with sport participation. This harmonization will allow the science to develop and facilitate a more accurate understanding of injury and illness patterns for tailoring evidence-informed prevention programs and enabling better planning of medical services for Para sport events.…”

An update of the Japanese Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaires on overuse injuries and health problems

“…Epidemiological studies for injury and illness in sports are critical elements to protect the health of athletes [ 1 , 2 ]. The methods for investigating the extent of injury and illness have been published in consensus statements for several sports including football [ 3 ], rugby union [ 4 ], and golf [ 5 ] and also in those from the International Olympic Committee as a method of investigating multisport events [ 2 , 6 ]. There are three consensus-recommended injury and illness definitions: all physical complaints regardless of their consequences ( any complaint definition), injuries or illnesses leading to the athlete seeking attention from a qualified medical practitioner ( medical attention definition), and injuries or illnesses leading to the athlete being unable to complete the current or future training session or competition ( time-loss definition) [ 2 , 7 ].…”

Injury and illness surveillance in sports: how golf, tennis, cycling and parasport extended the IOC consensus statement to tailor injury and illness surveillance to specific sports

“…The idea of standardised injury surveillance is not new, and the origins of the IOC consensus statement can be traced back to groundbreaking studies undertaken by the Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA), the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and by the IOC at Summer and Winter Olympic Games. 8 9 10 Going forward, this 2020 IOC Consensus Statement provides the foundation for the new injury and illness classification for golf, 5 tennis, 6 parasport, 7 and cycling. With 87 000 000 people playing tennis and 60 000 000 playing golf, these sports rate in the top 10 of global popularity.…”

“…4 It provides a blueprint for sports to follow and has been used to produce the consensus statements for golf, tennis, cycling and parasport. [5][6][7] WHicH Sport-Specific data are needed?…”