Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Athletic Trainers in National Collegiate Athletic Association Institutions, 2008–2018: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Context: Athletic trainers (ATs) are the most visible members of the sports medicine team and are responsible for the health and well-being of student-athletes (SAs). Objective: Quantifying the representation from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) ATs in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions has not been previously studied. Design: Retrospective study Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Demographic Database Participants: NCAA teams' athletic personnel at NCAA member institutions. Main Measures: Chi-square tests were employed to assess differences in racial and ethnic frequencies across division, calendar year and gender. Linear regressions models were used to examine change in racial and ethnic distributions of head and assistant ATs over time. Results: The majority of NCAA athletic trainers were categorized as white (88%), which was reflected in both head (90.8%) and assistant (87.2%) AT positions. Black ATs made up the largest proportion of a specific racial/ethnicity group within BIPOC ATs (3.4% of head ATs, 4.6% of assistant ATs), with the next most prevalent being Hispanic (2.8% of head ATs, 3.9% of assistant ATs). Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) showed higher proportions of BIPOC ATs in both head and assistant categories compared to non-HBCU institutions. Division I schools had the greatest AT racial/ethnicity diversity in comparison to Division II and Division III (p<0.0001). In our linear regression models, we found statistically significant increases in many of the racial/ethnic categories for both head and assistant ATs. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that BIPOC ATs represent a small proportion of the ATs currently working at NCAA member institutions. Although there has been an increase in BIPOC athletic trainers over the past ten years, a large racial and ethnic discordance gap still exists between student athletes and the ATs caring for them. Future studies may identify barriers encountered by BIPOC ATs and the effectiveness of current diversity initiatives.

Focus areas and methodological characteristics of North American-based health disparity research in sports medicine: a scoping review

“…The included research articles were classified into five mutually exclusive primary focus areas during the data extraction phase: (1) access to and participation in sports , (2) access to SEM care , (3) health-related outcomes in SEM , (4) study methodology and (5) provider representation in SEM (table 1, online supplemental table S4). Most included studies were related to access to and participation in sports (n=45, 44%),17–61 followed by access to SEM care (n=28, 27%),62–89 health-related outcomes in SEM (n=24, 23%),90–113 provider representation in SEM (n=5, 5%)114–118 and methodology (n=1, 1%) 119…”

Concerns About the Evaluation of Diversity in “Current Perceptions of Diversity Among Head Team Physicians and Head Athletic Trainers”: Response

“…At other institutions, there may be an individual making this determination about their department co-workers." 7 Just as those authors utilized a data set that included non-self reported data with regard to race/ethnicity to highlight a lack of diversity within a field, we also believe that in the absence of self-reporting, it is still important to report these data. This is what compelled us to earmark our findings as elucidating "perceptions" of diversity among medical personnel within US professional athletics.…”

“…A study recently published by 2 of the authors of the letter to the editor clearly serves to illustrate how self-reported responses can be very difficult to compile. 7 Even with 100% reporting requirement mandates put into place by large governing bodies, secondhand race assignation by select individuals may be necessary sometimes to gather enough useful data. 7 As was stated in their article (regarding data utilized to draw conclusions about the racial and ethnic diversity of National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] athletic trainers): “At some institutions, individuals may self-identify and report to the co-worker responsible for collecting the information.…”

“… 7 Even with 100% reporting requirement mandates put into place by large governing bodies, secondhand race assignation by select individuals may be necessary sometimes to gather enough useful data. 7 As was stated in their article (regarding data utilized to draw conclusions about the racial and ethnic diversity of National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] athletic trainers): “At some institutions, individuals may self-identify and report to the co-worker responsible for collecting the information. At other institutions, there may be an individual making this determination about their department co-workers.” 7 Just as those authors utilized a data set that included non–self reported data with regard to race/ethnicity to highlight a lack of diversity within a field, we also believe that in the absence of self-reporting, it is still important to report these data.…”

“… 7 As was stated in their article (regarding data utilized to draw conclusions about the racial and ethnic diversity of National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] athletic trainers): “At some institutions, individuals may self-identify and report to the co-worker responsible for collecting the information. At other institutions, there may be an individual making this determination about their department co-workers.” 7 Just as those authors utilized a data set that included non–self reported data with regard to race/ethnicity to highlight a lack of diversity within a field, we also believe that in the absence of self-reporting, it is still important to report these data. This is what compelled us to earmark our findings as elucidating “perceptions” of diversity among medical personnel within US professional athletics.…”