How to make surveillance for future athletes?

Abstract

The physical activity is the first step for the future athletes’ development, and it promote direct benefits to the children and adolescents’ health, such as reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes, development of social and physical skills (coordination, strength, flexibility). Children are highly susceptible to develop injuries in sports and these injuries could impact in adulthood, showing the necessity of a surveillance system for the young athlete's health. The aim of this study was to describe the surveillance system's health in 916 young athletes in a private sports club in Brazil. An interdisciplinary team develops the surveillance, with direct and indirect interventions for health promotion, injury's prevention and rehabilitation. The health promotion activities include health education, with activities for parents, coaches and athletes such as nutritional information, interventions to prevent abuse of alcohol and drugs and others. Before the start of training, the children have a pre-participation medical evaluation, to certify their health condition and security to practice and competition. These evaluations are performed annually. A pre-season evaluation is also accomplished to know the injuries risk factors, to define the sports profile and to screen whose athletes at high injury risk. Consequently, a pre- injury baseline for monitoring injured athletes is created, as well as data for health promotion, injury prevention and rehabilitation programs. A specific preventive interdisciplinary training developed for each sport is done periodically with exercises to improve the capacity of coordination, strength, stability and flexibility. Workshops with coaches are frequently performed to develop the knowledge involved in training such as training for emergency care, guidelines regarding control of training load and its impact on health. In addition, a team composed of health professionals and other partnerships as hospitals, imaging centers, laboratories, transportation services are available in case of an injury. The evaluation of this system is made by: a health indicator composed by the number of injuries per athlete and the absence at training sessions, as well a survey satisfaction answered by the sports departments and coaches to measure the quality and the effectiveness of these interventions. The health promotion and preventive injury programs are the best system to guarantee the surveillance of children's health to become healthy high-performance athletes. The physical activity is the first step for the future athletes’ development, and it promote direct benefits to the children and adolescents’ health, such as reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes, development of social and physical skills (coordination, strength, flexibility). Children are highly susceptible to develop injuries in sports and these injuries could impact in adulthood, showing the necessity of a surveillance system for the young athlete's health. The aim of this study was to describe the surveillance system's health in 916 young athletes in a private sports club in Brazil. An interdisciplinary team develops the surveillance, with direct and indirect interventions for health promotion, injury's prevention and rehabilitation. The health promotion activities include health education, with activities for parents, coaches and athletes such as nutritional information, interventions to prevent abuse of alcohol and drugs and others. Before the start of training, the children have a pre-participation medical evaluation, to certify their health condition and security to practice and competition. These evaluations are performed annually. A pre-season evaluation is also accomplished to know the injuries risk factors, to define the sports profile and to screen whose athletes at high injury risk. Consequently, a pre- injury baseline for monitoring injured athletes is created, as well as data for health promotion, injury prevention and rehabilitation programs. A specific preventive interdisciplinary training developed for each sport is done periodically with exercises to improve the capacity of coordination, strength, stability and flexibility. Workshops with coaches are frequently performed to develop the knowledge involved in training such as training for emergency care, guidelines regarding control of training load and its impact on health. In addition, a team composed of health professionals and other partnerships as hospitals, imaging centers, laboratories, transportation services are available in case of an injury. The evaluation of this system is made by: a health indicator composed by the number of injuries per athlete and the absence at training sessions, as well a survey satisfaction answered by the sports departments and coaches to measure the quality and the effectiveness of these interventions. The health promotion and preventive injury programs are the best system to guarantee the surveillance of children's health to become healthy high-performance athletes.