Development and validation of an overuse injury questionnaire for youth athletes: The Youth Overuse Injury Questionnaire

Abstract

ObjectiveTo develop and validate the Youth Overuse Injury Questionnaire (YOvIQ). DesignA cross-sectional study. SettingOnline platforms. ParticipantsTwo content experts (in sports injury epidemiology and in sports science and medicine) and seven end-users (youth volleyball athletes) provided feedback during development of the YOvIQ. 227 competitive youth athletes across 14 different sports assessed the psychometric properties of the YOvIQ. Main outcome measuresParticipants completed both YOvIQ and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O2) for anatomical areas of the shoulder, elbow, lower back, knee, and ankle/foot. Validity was assessed via convergent validity. Reliability was assessed using internal consistency estimation and interclass correlation coefficient. ResultsFollowing feedback from content experts, examples and quantitative symbolization were added to the options in YOvIQ, with positive feedback from end-users. Convergent validity between YOvIQ and the OSTRC-O2 was demonstrated with non-significant differences (P ≥ .05) and significant correlations (P < 0.001) for prevalence and severity scores. YOvIQ demonstrated internal consistency for prevalence (Cronbach's alpha coefficient >0.70) and moderate-to-good reliability for severity scores (ICC: 0.51 to 0.88) for shoulder, lower back, and knee. ConclusionsThe YOvIQ is a valid and reliable instrument to identify overuse injuries to the shoulder, lower back, and knee in youth athletes.