Youth Female Athletes Research Articles

A Comprehensive Analysis of 10-Yard Sprint Reliability in Male and Female Youth Athletes.

Wannouch, YJ, Leahey, SR, Whitworth-Turner, CM, Oliver, JL, YH, KC, Laffer, JC, and Leicht, AS. A comprehensive analysis of 10-yard sprint reliability in male and female youth athletes. J Strength Cond Res 38(9): e477-e488, 2024-This study investigates the inter-week test-retest reliability of 9.14 meter (10 yard) sprint times in youth athletes. Although essential for assessing athletic ability and training efficacy, the critical and comprehensive examination of both relative and absolute reliability indices for short-distance sprints has been insufficient in youth contexts. One hundred ninety-eight youth athletes (128 males and 70 females) underwent 2 sprint attempts across 2 separate trials 24 hours apart and within 7 days of each other. The sprints were measured using dual-beam timing gates to capture split times for 0-4.57 meter (0-5 yards), 4.57-9.14 meter (5-10 yards), and 0-9.14 meter (0-10 yards). The minimal mean difference between the best sprint times across trials was 0.02 ± 0.13 seconds for males and 0.003 ± 0.14 seconds for females. No significant mean differences were found between trials for either gender (males: p = 0.0875; females: p = 0.8752), suggesting no systematic bias in sprint times. The SEM was 0.092 seconds for males and 0.099 seconds for females, with a corresponding SEMCV% of 4.6 and 4.8%. The overall coefficient of variation was 9.8% for males and 8.9% for females. Intraclass correlation coefficient values suggested that the sprint times across trials were reliable (males: 0.80; females: 0.76). The minimal detectable change was 0.25 seconds for males, 0.27 seconds for females. Cohen's d indicated trivial effects (<0.2) for males (0.154) and females (0.021). Minimal mean differences, a low SEM , and consistent ICC values demonstrate that the 0-9.14 meter sprint is a reliable assessment in youth athletes.

Jumping Interval Training: An Effective Training Method for Enhancing Anaerobic, Aerobic, and Jumping Performances in Aerobic Gymnastics.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of jumping interval training (JIT) and running high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the aerobic, anaerobic and jumping performances of youth female aerobic gymnasts. A randomized controlled study was conducted over an 8-week period, involving 73 youth female athletes (16.2 ± 1.3 years old) of aerobic gymnastics. The study comprised two experimental groups (JIT and HIIT) and a control group. Participants in the experimental groups engaged in two additional training sessions per week alongside their regular training regimen, while the control group followed their usual training routine. Before and after the intervention period, gymnasts were assessed for their performance in the countermovement jump test (CMJ), the specific aerobic gymnastics anaerobic test (SAGAT) and the 20-m multistage fitness test. Significant interactions time × group were found in SAGAT (p < 0.001; = 0.495), CMJ (p < 0.001; = 0.338) and 20-m multistage fitness test (p < 0.001; = 0.500). The time × group analysis post-intervention revealed significantly lower scores in SAGAT for the control group compared to the JIT (p = 0.003) and HIIT (p = 0.034). Additionally, significantly higher scores were observed for the JIT group in the CMJ test compared to the HIIT (p = 0.020) and control (p = 0.028) groups following the intervention. Finally, the 20 m multistage fitness test post-intervention revealed significantly lower scores for the control group compared to JIT (p < 0.001) and HIIT (p < 0.001). Both JIT and HIIT are recommended training strategies to adopt in aerobic gymnastics for significantly improving the aerobic and anaerobic performances of athletes. However, JIT may be particularly relevant to use as it offers additional benefits in improving vertical jumping performances.

Influence of different verbal cue types on countermovement jump performance in youth female athletes

Although external (EXT) verbal cues have been shown to improve jump performance, limited research has been conducted in youth athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how different EXT verbal cue types influenced countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in youth athletes. Ten young trained female athletes (16.80 ± 0.60 years) performed the CMJ using four different EXT verbal cues including external-distal (DIST), external-proximal (PROX), analogy (ANA) and holistic (HOL) as well as a neutral cue (CON). Jump height, reactive strength index modified (RSIMOD), countermovement depth, jump time and force-time measures from eccentric and concentric CMJ subphases were measured. No significant differences between cue types were found for RSIMOD. ANA resulted in significantly higher jump height compared to CON ( g = 0.37). PROX significantly increased jump time ( g = 0.60), concentric time ( g = 0.47) and braking time ( g = 0.52), as well as significantly decreasing eccentric braking mean force ( g = 0.43) and eccentric braking rate of force development ( g = 0.59) compared to CON. Countermovement depth significantly increased when using PROX ( g = 0.60), HOL ( g = 0.46) and ANA ( g = 0.51) compared to CON. These results suggest that compared to a neutral cue, EXT verbal cues result in similar CMJ performance in trained youth athletes. However, PROX verbal cues appear to result in reduced performance in many CMJ force-time measures.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Team Sport Engagement: The Perceptions of Adolescent Females in Victoria

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate the impact of restrictions in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on team sport engagement from the perspectives of Victorian adolescent females. In 2022, 10 female athletes aged between 14 and 17 years, recruited via snowball sampling, took part in semistructured interviews exploring their experiences and perceptions during the pandemic. Three higher order themes emerged: (a) team sport barriers during COVID-19, (b) emotional responses of athletes during COVID-19, and (c) behavioral reactions of athletes during COVID-19. Findings indicated that athletes reported harsh restrictions, a lack of social interaction, and resources severely impacted training, ultimately resulting in poor motivation, lowered mood, and decreased sport enjoyment. Athletes also expressed concern in relation to spreading the virus, adhering to restrictions, and discovering lost skills and ability postlockdown. Guided by the self-determination theory, the perceived reduction in motivation and sport engagement for Victorian female athletes during COVID-19 was a result of the added depletion of autonomy, relatedness, and competence during the strictest lockdowns worldwide. The practical implications of this research offered new qualitative insights into how extended lockdowns and limited sport engagement impacted participation of female youth athletes who resided in the most locked-down state in the world. It also provided a strong foundation to enhance female motivation and sport engagement through addressing athletes’ self-efficacy levels and encouraging enjoyable and socially simulating sporting contexts following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Differences in muscle mass and fat mass accumulation in youth female athletes

Differences in muscle mass and fat mass accumulation in youth female athletes

Effects of Exercise-Induced Neuromuscular Fatigue on Jump Performance and Lower-Limb Asymmetries in Youth Female Team Sport Athletes.

The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of acute neuromuscular fatigue on unilateral jump performance and inter-limb asymmetries. Thirty elite youth female team sport athletes (age: U-14 to U-18) performed the Unilateral Countermovement Jump (UCJ) and the Unilateral Drop Jump (UDJ) (18-cm box) tests before and approximately 10 minutes after the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (30-15 IFT). A paired samples t-test showed significant reductions in UCJ jump height in the right leg after the 30-15 IFT (p = 0.018; d = 0.33), but not in the left leg (p = 0.459; d = 0.48). For the UDJ, significant reductions in jump height were shown in both the right (p < 0.001; d = 0.33) and left (p < 0.001; d = 0.33) legs. In addition, for the reactive strength index (UDJ), significant reductions were seen in the left leg after the 30-15 IFT (p < 0.001; d = 0.31), but not in the right leg (p = 0.948; d < 0.001). Only UCJ inter-limb jump height asymmetries increased significantly post 30-15 IFT (p = 0.033; d = 0.46). In conclusion, the current study indicates that the 30-15 IFT provides a sufficient dose of activity for inducing acute fatigue in elite youth female team sport athletes. Therefore, monitoring jump height in unilateral jump testing is recommended given the tests' sensitivity to detect significant differences in physical performance and inter-limb asymmetries under acutely fatigued conditions in healthy youth female athletes.

Comparison of usefulness of two tests measuring anaerobic performance of untrained and soccer-training girls U12

The study aimed to investigate the usefulness of the Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) in anaerobic performance estimation in trained and untrained girls U12, and the effect of an 8-week training period in female U12 soccer players on anaerobic performance. A comparative study of two structurally different anaerobic tests was performed to reach the goal. The study was designed as a non-randomized, controlled before-and-after trial. Fourteen female soccer players (FSP) and twelve untrained girls (UNT) participated in the study. During that time, all participants were subjected to school’s physical education classes and the FSP additionally participated in regular soccer training. The anaerobic performance was evaluated twice, within 8-weeks period, using the traditional Wingate test (WAnT) and the RAST. A significant increase in the anaerobic performance of the FSP was noted (p < 0.05). In both tests peak, average, and relative power were significantly improved (p < 0.005). Nevertheless, strong, statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlation coefficients (0.50 < r < 0.70) were found for pre-training measurements between the WAnT and the RAST power parameters in absolute values. In UNT group significant improvement was found in peak, average and min power (p < 0.05) in the RAST. The improvement in anaerobic performance after training along with the strong correlation noted between the WAnT and the RAST power parameters prove the usefulness of the RAST in assessing anaerobic capacity in female youth athletes. Its simplicity encourages its use in monitoring anaerobic capacity in both trained and untrained girls.

Psychological predictors of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms across one season in grassroots netball

AbstractMuch of our knowledge about the relationship between psychological variables related to sport and adolescent mental health is based on research from elite athletes. However, the vast majority of adolescents who engage in sports do so at the grassroots level. We therefore sought to understand how self‐reported psychological variables and sleep may be associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety across one season in grassroots adolescent netball. We collected self‐report, paper‐based questionnaire data from adolescent netball players at one large netball club based in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom at the start of the season (timepoint 1, September 2018, N = 140) and end of the season (timepoint 2, March 2019, N = 132). Ages ranged from 11 to 19 (M = 13.54), which were categorized as under 14s (U14, ages 11–14) and under 19s (U19, ages 15–19). Participants self‐reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, basic psychological needs related to netball, demands and resources related to netball, and sleep quality at each time point. We used standardized residual change scores to test whether changes in the psychological variables related to their engagement in grassroots netball (basic psychological needs, demands and resources) and sleep quality were associated with changes in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. We report that increases in perceived sporting demands and reductions in sleep quality were associated with elevated symptoms of depression over the season. Reductions in perceptions of autonomy were associated with increases in symptoms of anxiety. We report novel evidence that self‐reported, malleable psychological variables related to sports participation, and sleep quality, are associated with mental health in youth female athletes competing at the grassroots level. It would be worthwhile to explore whether mental health interventions and/or education delivered via grassroots sports clubs may be an effective method for promoting mental health resilience in adolescent athletes.

Validation of skinfold equations and alternative methods for the determination of fat-free mass in young athletes.

To cross-validate skinfold (SKF) equations, impedance devices, and air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) for the determination of fat-free mass (FFM). Male and female youth athletes were evaluated (n = 91[mean ± SD] age: 18.19 ± 2.37 year; height: 172.1 ± 9.8 cm; body mass: 68.9 ± 14.5 kg; BMI: 23.15 ± 3.2 kg m-2; body fat: 19.59 ± 6.9%) using underwater weighing (UWW), ADP, and SKF assessments. A 3-compartment (3C) model (i.e., UWW and total body water) served as the criterion, and alternate body density (Db) estimates from ADP and multiple SKF equations were obtained. Validity metrics were examined to establish each method's performance. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), and the SKF equations of Devrim-Lanpir, Durnin and Womersley, Jackson and Pollock (7-site), Katch, Loftin, Lohman, Slaughter, and Thorland differed from criterion. For females, Pearson's correlations between the 3C model and alternate methods ranged from 0.51 to 0.92, the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) ranged from 0.41 to 0.89, with standard error of the estimate (SEE) ranges of 1.9-4.6 kg. For SKF, the Evans 7-site and J&P 3 Site equations performed best with CCC and SEE values of 0.82, 2.01 kg and 0.78, 2.21 kg, respectively. For males, Pearson's correlations between the 3C model and alternate methods ranged from 0.50 to 0.95, CCC ranges of 0.46-0.94, and SEE ranges of 3.3-7.6 kg. For SKF, the Evans 3-site equation performed best with a mean difference of 1.8 (3.56) kg and a CCC of 0.93. The Evans 7-site and 3-site SKF equations performed best for female and male athletes, respectively. The field 3C model can provide an alternative measure of FFM when necessary.

Sources of Sport Satisfaction and Perceived Self-Efficacy Among Youth in a Competitive Environment.

Young people's sources of satisfaction in sport are an important indicator of their long-term sport participation. Contextual factors and an individual's internal dispositions act synergistically to determine a positive experience. We studied sources of sport satisfaction and perceived self-efficacy of 1,151 male and female youth athletes (M age = 14.72, SD = 1.56years) in Brazil who were engaged in school state level competition. The participants responded to questionnaires on their sport satisfaction and perceived self-efficacy. We considered sex, training time, and last game results as independent variables in accessing participant differences in perceived satisfaction. We observed an increasing trend toward more significant satisfaction as sport experience increased. Perceived self-efficacy was a moderator for young participants' self-reported positive experience in sports. Thus, in our offer of evidence on sources of satisfaction in sport and perceived self-efficacy among youth in competition, we found the extent of the sport experience and self-efficacy to be important factors in the developmental pathway.

Physical Literacy in Female Youth: A Pilot Study Examining Its Association with Physical Activity, Sports Participation, and Physical Fitness

This pilot study aimed primarily to investigate the association between perceived physical literacy (PL) and participation in organised sports and self-organised physical activity (PA) in female youth athletes and non-athletes. A secondary purpose was to investigate the association between perceived PL and physical fitness among female youth athletes. A convenient sample of 18 female youth soccer athletes (age: 14.56 ± 1.42 years) and 18 female youth non-athletes (age: 14.22 ± 1.22) underwent anthropometric measurements and responded to PL and PA questionnaires. The athletes completed physical fitness tests (e.g., cardiopulmonary, isokinetic, handgrip, and jump tests). The results indicated that the female athletes presented significantly higher scores for perceived PL and self-organised PA compared to the non-athletes. The PL components ‘sense of self and self-confidence’ and ‘knowledge and understanding’ were significantly associated with self-organised PA in both the athletes and the non-athletes, as well as with organised sports. An association was found between the total PL score for the athletes and the squat jump (r = 0.50), flexibility (r = 0.59), and left hamstring (r = 0.51) physical tests. The positive association between the self-perceived PL of female youth and their involvement in both organised sports and self-organised PA may help them fulfil their potential and also value and take responsibility for getting involved in PA for life.

Negative Training Responses During The Runners’ Career Could Cooperate in an Early Career Termination: A Case Study in Top-Level Female Runners From the Slovakian National Team

Purpose: The early drop-out in professional youth athletes is a complex and multi factors process and seems to be more common in individual sports with higher physical demands, such as the running disciplines. Also, it has previously been reported that youth female athletes presented a higher drop-out rate compared with males. The present study, therefore, investigated the causes of early-career termination and possible association with wellness and low energy availability in youth female runners.&#x0D; Methods: Data from four female runners (aged from 22 to 24 years) from the Slovakian national team in running disciplines who have ended their careers early were collected. A semi-structured interview was performed to explore multiple factors (advent athletics, training, regeneration, sleep, diet, health, emotions, motivation, communication, environmental pressure, coach, habits, reasons for ending an athletic career and a better relationship with the sport) and the questionnaire about wellness and low energy availability in females (LEAF-Q). &#x0D; Results: The interview shows that the most common factors of early-career termination of a former runner were: an early specialization in the discipline, inadequate training dose-response (e.g., high intensity and insufficient recovery), pathological nutritional behaviour, health problems, psychological factors, and loss of motivation. The factors reported during the interview were associated with negative results of the wellness questionnaire (score 10±1.9) and with LEAF-Q (score 12±2.9).&#x0D; Conclusion: The study highlights the multi factors involved in early career termination. Based on the athletes’ reports, was possible to notice that the early sports specialization in running disciplines affected negatively their health, nutrition and psychological aspects, and could be triggered by higher training loads and insufficient recovery. Caution should be taken by coaches and professionals involved during the sports specialization, in order to minimize the negative impact of training routine on youth athletes and consequently avoid an early drop-out.

Comparing Two Methods of Acute: Chronic Workload Calculations in Girls’ Youth Volleyball

Monitoring training load using acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) enables coaches to maximize fitness potential while mitigating injury risks by maintaining an optimal ACWR range. There are two methods of determining ACWR: rolling average (RA) and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA). This study aimed to (1) compare weekly changes in kinetic energy (KE) output in female youth athletes (n = 24) during the high school (HSVB) and club volleyball (CVB) seasons and (2) evaluate the agreement in RA and EWMA ACWR calculations during the HSVB and CVB seasons. Weekly load was measured using a wearable device, and RA and EWMA ACWRs were calculated using KE. The HSVB data showed spikes in ACWR at the onset of the season and during one week mid-season (p = 0.001-0.015), but most weeks were in the optimal ACWR range. The CVB data had greater weekly variations throughout the season (p < 0.05), and many weeks were outside of the optimal ACWR range. There were moderate correlations between the two ACWR methods (HSVB: r = 0.756, p < 0.001; CVB: r = 0.646, p < 0.001). Both methods can be used as a monitoring tool for consistent training like that in HSVB, but more research is needed to investigate appropriate methods for an inconsistent season like that of CVB.

Anthropometry and Physical Performance in 13-Year-Old Australian Talent-Identified Male and Female Athletes Compared to an Age-Matched General Population Cohort.

Talent-identified male and female athletes are assumed to have greater speed and power than the general population at a given age. However, a comparison of the jump and sprint performance of an Australian cohort of male and female youth athletes from various sports to age-matched controls has not occurred. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare anthropometric and physical performance markers between ~13-year-old talent-identified youth athletes and general population Australian youth. The anthropometry and physical performance in talent-identified youth athletes (n = 136, 83 males) and general population youth (n = 250, 135 males) were tested during the first month of the school year in an Australian high school within a specialized sports academy. Talent-identified females were taller (p < 0.001; d = 0.60), sprinted faster (20 m: p < 0.001; d = -1.16), and jumped higher (p < 0.001; d = 0.88) than general population youth females. Similarly, talent-identified males sprinted faster (20 m: p < 0.001; d = -0.78) and jumped higher (p < 0.001; d = 0.87) than general population youth males, but were not taller (p = 0.13; d = 0.21). Body mass was not different between groups for males (p = 0.310) or females (p = 0.723). Overall, youth, particularly females, who are trained in a variety of sports, exhibit greater speed and power during early adolescence compared to their age-matched peers, with anthropometric differences only occurring in females at 13 years of age. Whether talented athletes are selected because they exhibit these traits or whether speed and power are developed through sport participation requires further investigation.

Fostering Youth Female Athletes' Decision-Making Skills through Competitive Volleyball: A Mixed Methods Design.

Decision-making is one of the most important life skills for young athletes to succeed in their daily lives and can be improved through Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs. Although the application of this type of programs has increased within educational and recreational sports, there is a lack of research relating PYD through competitive sports. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether an intervention with competitive female youth players improves their decision-making. A hybrid PYD program was applied (37 trainings and 14 games) using convergent mixed methods. 15 girls (8–10 years) and a male coach participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews and field notes were used to collect qualitative data and the Decision-Making Style in Sport questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. The results showed a positive perception of the improvement in decision-making in both the players and the coach; however, there was no statistical significance between the pretest and the posttest, and the integration between qualitative and quantitative data was mostly discrepant. Despite the lack of significance in the statistical analysis, the findings suggest that the intervention program appears to have beneficial effects on the development of decision-making skills in the players.

Training, Wellbeing and Recovery Load Monitoring in Female Youth Athletes.

Participation in youth sports is ever-increasing, along with training and competition demands placed upon youth athletes. Young athletes may experience high training loads due to playing several sports, as well as participating in school physical education. Therefore, monitoring youth athlete load is an emerging area of research that may help limit non-functional overreaching, injury, or illness and assist with long-term athlete development. This narrative review highlights that multiple measures have been explored to monitor both internal and external load. However, the validity, reliability and practicality of these measures are often not fully understood in female youth populations. The most commonly used external monitoring methods are GPS tracking and TRIMP whereas common internal monitoring tools are questionnaires, perceived exertion rating and heart rate measures. The reporting of injuries and menstrual cycles is also crucial for providing completeness when monitoring an athlete. It has been suggested that the combination of training load, recovery and wellbeing monitoring variables is the optimal way to monitor an athlete’s fatigue levels. Whichever monitoring method is applied, in a youth population it is important that the protocol can be individualised, is inexpensive and can be easily implemented and reported so that the monitoring is sustainable.

A developmental outlook on the role of cognition and emotions in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics.

Developmental and cognitive psychology recently started to take an interest in the sports domain, exploring the role of either cognitive functions or emotions in youth sport. However, to the extent that cognition and emotions are inextricably linked, studying them jointly from a developmental perspective could inform on their interplay in determining performance in different sports. This research examined the role of general cognitive abilities, attentional style, and emotions (controlling for age and experience), in predicting performance in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics. A total of 218 female participants, of which 114 volleyball players and 104 artistic gymnasts (11–17 years old) were administered two measures of working memory and six measures of executive functions (namely inhibition, updating, and shifting). They also completed an attentional style and an emotion-related questionnaire. For each volleyball player, an individual performance index based on every gesture performed during the games and controlled for the team performance was computed. As a measure of gymnasts’ performance, scores in 2017–2018 competitions were used. Regression analysis showed that the main predictor of the volleyball players’ performance (R2 = 0.23) was a working memory-updating factor (ß = 0.45, p = 0.001), together with experience (ß = 0.29, p = 0.030) and high-arousal unpleasant emotions (ß = 0.30, p = 0.029), which positively predicted performance. Experience (ß = 0.30, p = 0.011), age (ß = −0.036, p = 0.005) and high-arousal unpleasant emotions (ß = −0.27, p = 0.030) were the predictors of gymnasts’ performance (R2 = 0.25). These results represent a first step in understanding if and how youth female athletes of open- and closed-skills sports rely on different psychological abilities. This line of research could offer insight to practitioners regarding which psychological abilities could be more relevant to train depending on the type of sport.

Pitching Behaviors in Youth Fast-Pitched Softball: High Pitching Volumes With Unequal Pitch Counts Among Pitchers are Common.

Softball is a popular sport among youth female athletes. While youth baseball has well-established, evidence-based pitching guidelines, youth softball pitching guidelines lack both evidence and enforcement. Adherence to pitch count limits in youth softball is infrequent and results in pitchers with exceedingly high pitching volumes. Pitch counts for youth fast-pitch softball teams competing for 1 consecutive year between January 2018 to December 2019 in age groups 8 and under (8U) to 14 and under (14U) were collected. Pitching volume was assessed based on individual games, single calendar days, and tournaments in which games are played on 2 or more consecutive days. Pitchers on teams were subdivided based on pitch count volumes and compared using a logarithmic transformation and geometric mean. Data was collected for 10 teams from each age division resulting in analysis of 538 pitchers on 70 teams. The average pitcher threw 813 pitches per year and appeared in 20.0% of games while the average highest volume pitcher threw 2500 pitches per year and appeared in 54.5% of games. On average, the highest volume pitcher on each team threw 40% of all team pitches, while the 3 highest volume pitchers combined threw 82% of all team pitches. The average and high-volume pitcher threw pitches in 2 or more games on the same day in 37.5% and 48.6% of possible games while pitching 2 or more consecutive days in 64.0% and 79.6% of possible games, respectively. Softball pitchers throw high volumes of pitches while also pitching multiple days consecutively. A disparity among pitchers on softball teams exists as 40% of team pitches are thrown by 1 player and over 80% of team pitches are thrown by the top 3 pitchers. These high-volume pitchers may be engaging in unsustainable pitching practices that could predispose to injury. Level IV-cross-sectional.

Prevention of Non-Contact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries among Youth Female Athletes: An Umbrella Review.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries account for a large percentage of knee injuries, disproportionately affecting female athletes. To help health professionals stay current, we performed an umbrella review to evaluate the effectiveness of ACL injury prevention programs in reducing non-contact ACL injury rates, determine the effective components within interventions, and provide clinical recommendations. Twelve databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, SPORTDiscus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PEDro, Web of Science Core Collection, Epistemonikos, TRIP, BC Guidelines and Protocols, CPG Infobase, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global) were searched in May 2021 to identify relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Four databases were searched again in September 2021 to identify recent primary literature. Non-contact ACL injury data were extracted to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and these were combined using an inverse variance random-effects model. A qualitative assessment of included reviews was performed. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using a Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) or Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool for Randomized Trials (RoB 2). Sixteen reviews and two primary studies met the inclusion criteria. Across 11 primary studies, prevention programs were effective in reducing non-contact ACL injuries by 64% (IRR = 0.36 (95% CI: 0.18–0.70)). A multi-faceted exercise program, beginning in the pre-season and containing at least three exercise types, may be beneficial in reducing ACL injury risk.

Motivational Obstacles and Dropout among Female Youth Athletes

Motivational Obstacles and Dropout among Female Youth Athletes