Researching health behaviour in ‘real time’: Methodological insights from a prospective study on Olympic hopefuls

Abstract

In this article, we share our experience of navigating qualitative longitudinal research with a 'hard to recruit' population. To detail design conception, methodological challenges and insights, we draw on the case of a 1-year-long study on health behaviour in Olympic hopefuls. In order to accompany 12 athletes who aimed to qualify for either an Olympic Games (n = 10) or a World Championship (n = 2), we developed and implemented a career background questionnaire; semistructured interviews; weekly web surveys; a training observation and a compilation of competition results. Based on the longitudinal research experience, we present project management and project data of the Paths-to-Rio study to discuss the challenges we faced, including gaining access to an elite population, their retention and anonymity. We further outline insights the prospective study gave us on the value of missing data as data and on the benefits participants described in terms of learning through research involvement. We conclude with recommendations for future qualitative longitudinal research.

Balancing risk-taking and self-care: The ecology of athlete health behaviour during the Olympic qualification phase

“…Similarly, multilevel factors interact but the athlete's overall situation appears more secure from the outset. While there are intrapersonal aspects and organisational conditions that could promote ‘elite sport risk behaviour’ (Schubring et al, 2019a), they are outweighed by factors that support a balanced approach (see Table 5). Key aspects are the intrapersonal resources Cara developed following her overtraining experience and that she entered the qualification phase well-rested.…”

“…Thus, we believe our findings can speak to athletes, coaches, and policy makers. A methodological challenge that comes with involving exclusive research samples in longitudinal qualitative research – such as the here presented study – is that careful choices need to be made regarding which personal and contextual information can be made public without revealing participants’ identity (Schubring et al, 2019a). While prioritizing confidentiality can limit the contextualisation of presented findings, we argue this choice is both indispensable for continued ethical research in elite sport and justifiable because social science research's prime interest is with social practices, interactions, systems and their people rather than individuals per se.…”

“…To examine athlete health behaviour during qualification for the OG, we adopted a longitudinal, qualitative case study design that allowed us to collect in-depth context-specific data and to capture change over time (Neale, 2020; Yin, 2014). The data included in this research constitutes a sub-study of the Paths-to-Rio project through which we accompanied ten athletes from fall 2015 to fall 2016 who aimed to qualify for the 2016 OG (see Schubring et al, 2019a: for study description). The project has obtained clearance from the Regional Ethical Vetting in Gothenburg (Dnr.…”

“…The first interview served to explore athletes’ sporting backgrounds, their health experiences and preparation for the OG. To support interviewees to express their own attitudes and experiences, we used short stories (vignettes) depicting three different examples of athlete health behaviour (see Schubring et al, 2019c). Interviewees were invited to reflect and comment on each vignette in relation to their own sport and behaviour.…”

“…During the qualification phase for the OG, staying healthy is additionally complicated. Athletes are under pressure to achieve both international and national qualification standards, knowing that seats for their country's travelling teams are restricted and that the games only take place every fourth year (Gould and Maynard, 2009;Hanton et al, 2005;Schubring et al, 2019a). Further, participating in the OGs constitutes for many athletes a long-term dream and the pinnacle of a possible athletic career (Barker-Ruchti et al, 2019;Jensen et al, 2014).…”