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Biomedical subjects

C F Finch

Publications and source records attributed to C F Finch.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Community football players' attitudes towards protective equipment--a pre-season measure.

BACKGROUND: The Australian football injury prevention project (AFIPP) was a randomised controlled trial examining the effects of protective equipment on injury rates in Australian Football. OBJECTIVE: To present the results of the AFIPP baseline survey of community football players' attitudes towards protective equipment. METHODS: Teams of players were recruited from the largest community football league in Victoria, Australia, during the 2001 playing season; 301 players were enrolled in the study and all were surveyed before the season began about their attitudes towards protective headgear and mouthguards. RESULTS: Almost three quarters of the players (73.6%) reported wearing mouthguards during the previous playing season (year 2000) compared with only 2.1% wearing headgear. The most common reasons for not wearing headgear and mouthguards (in non-users) were: "I don't like wearing it" (headgear: 44.8%; mouthguards: 30.6%), and "It is too uncomfortable" (headgear: 40.7%; mouthguards: 45.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The higher mouthguard usage reflects the favourable attitudes towards mouthguards by Australian football players generally. Similarly, the low headgear usage reflects the low acceptance of this form of protection in this sport. Further research should be directed towards establishing the reasons why players seem to believe that headgear plays a role in injury prevention yet few wear it.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Improving golf performance with a warm up conditioning programme.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a golf specific warm up programme (both immediately prior to play and after performing it five times a week for 5 weeks) improved performance in 10 male golfers compared with 10 controls matched for age, sex, and handicap. METHODS: Twenty male golfers were matched for age (+/-2 years) and handicap (+/-1 stroke). Club head speed was assessed by two dimensional video analysis in a laboratory setting. In week 1, all golfers performed 10 strokes. In weeks 2 and 7, the controls underwent the same procedure as in week 1. The exercise group performed the golf specific warm up followed by their 10 strokes. Between weeks 2 and 7, the exercise group performed the specially designed warm up five times a week for 5 weeks. RESULTS: The mean club head speeds of the exercise group improved at each testing week. Between weeks 1 and 2, golfers in the exercise group improved their club head speed on average by 3-6 m/s (12.8%), and between weeks 1 and 7, they increased their club head speeds by 7-10 m/s (24.0%). With the exception of one golfer whose club head speed varied by 1.7 m/s, the mean club head speeds of the golfers in the control group hardly varied over the testing period (range: 0.3-0.8 m/s). A significant difference (p = 0.029) was found between the mean club head speeds of the exercise and control groups over the duration of the study, and a significant interaction over time (p<0.001) was also found. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that golfers' performances will be significantly improved by undertaking a golf specific warm up programme compared with not performing the warm up.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Too hot to trot? Exploring potential links between climate change, physical activity and health.

Based on an analysis of existing literature, this paper explores the links between climate change, physical activity and health. It highlights the importance of physical activity for health, explores current understandings of factors influencing participation in sport and physical activity, and develops some hypotheses about the ways in which climate change may impact on the factors influencing physical activity and thereby on the level of participation in physical activity. The paper argues that climate change has the potential to be a barrier to participation in physical activity, particularly in areas where temperatures are already relatively high, and that a reduction in physical activity across the population is likely to have detrimental health impacts. The need for research to clarify the nature and extent of the threat posed to physical activity participation is highlighted, as is the need to take into account the direct and indirect costs of any changes or reductions in physical activity in any assessment of the costs of climate change and/or its mitigation.

Australia↗
PubMed2003

Rugby headgear study.

A two year randomised controlled trial of headgear in Rugby Union football is being conducted in Sydney, Australia. This paper gives an overview of this study in progress and presents results related to the development and laboratory performance of the headgear. The study commenced in 2002. Participants recruited to the study are in the under 13, 15, school open (U18) and colts age groups. There are three study arms: control, IRB-approved headgear, and modified headgear. The IRB approved headgear is a popular model in rugby, the Canterbury Honeycomb model manufactured by BodyArmour in New Zealand. The dimensions of this model were altered by increasing foam density and thickness to produce the modified headgear. In impact energy attenuation tests of 15 and 20 Joules onto a flat anvil, the modified headgear demonstrated average maximum headform accelerations of 23% and 33% of the standard model, respectively. Whether or not this improvement translates into reductions in injury will be determined by a comparison of the rates and severities of head injuries across study arms. Furthermore, these dimensional changes may not be acceptable to rugby players. Player attitudes towards safety and the use of protective clothing, injury history, experience and on-field behaviour will be examined via structured pre- and end of season surveys and analysis of match video.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Warm-up attitudes and behaviours of amateur golfers.

Although it is widely recommended that golfers warm-up before play/practice to enhance their physical performance and to prevent injuries, few actually undertake this activity. The reasons why golfers do/do not warm-up are not known. The aim of this study was to determine the self-reported behaviours and attitudes of adult golfers towards warming-up. A survey of 1040 randomly selected golfers was conducted over a 3-week period in July 1999. Information about golf participation, usual warm-up habits and reasons for these warm-up behaviours was obtained by a verbally administered self-report survey. Over 70% of the surveyed golfers stated that they never or seldom warm-up, with only 3.8% reporting warming-up on every occasion. The most common reasons why golfers warmed-up included to play better (74.5%), to prevent injury (27.0%), and because everyone else does (13.2%). Common reasons for not warming-up were the perception that they don't need to (38.7%), don't have enough time (36.4%) and can't be bothered (33.7%). These findings suggest that in order to increase the proportion of golfers who warm-up, education programs focussing on the benefits of warming-up, including injury prevention, need to be developed and implemented. Different strategies may need to be adopted to accommodate golfers' differing attitudes and baseline behaviours.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The development of a tool to audit the safety policies and practices of community sports clubs.

Despite increased national effort directed at sports injury prevention in Australia since the mid 1990s, there is a lack of information available about the sports safety policies and practices of community sports clubs. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable sports safety audit tool (SSAT) to identify these safety policies and practices. A literature review identified issues to be covered by the SSAT. Consultation with "experts" and piloting the SSAT with 19 community sports clubs in metropolitan Sydney established face and content validity. Test-retest reliability was assessed in six clubs. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using twenty-four independent representatives from eight clubs. Face and content validity studies identified issues to include in the SSAT and improvements to language and layout. Test-retest reliability was 91% (range 68-100%). Inter-rater reliability ranged from 40-65% when missing data and 'don't know' answers were included, and from 62-75% when only 'definitive' answers were included. Club presidents and secretaries provided more definitive information than other informants. A preliminary list of safety issues that clubs addressed well or poorly was identified. The SSAT is a useful tool for gathering baseline data, benchmarking and targeting sports safety interventions with community sports clubs. Club presidents and secretaries are the preferred contact point and a face-to-face interview is the best administration mode. A tool to identify safety policies and practices is now available for use by anyone supporting community sports clubs to improve safety.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Does community-level Australian football support injury prevention research?

The progress of injury prevention research in Australian football to date has been slow despite its recognition as a public health goal. In particular, field-based studies to identify injury risk factors and evaluate the effectiveness of injury prevention strategies need to be undertaken to ensure safety gains in this sport. For these types of studies to be successful and complied with, considerable support is required from clubs, coaches and players. To date, the actual level of support for injury prevention research at the community-level of football has not been established. A survey of 82 club administrators and coaches from the Victorian Amateur Football Association was undertaken to determine the level of support for injury prevention research, along with incentives for, and barriers towards, participation in such research. The highest priorities for injury prevention research were given as the prevention of knee, hamstring and concussion injuries and investigation into the content of training programs. The most common incentives reported as being necessary for participation in injury prevention research were financial assistance (59.5%), more club staff (57.0%) and further education (36.7%). The most commonly reported barriers to research were the expertise (50.0%) and number of (48.8%) of club medical staff members. Overall community-level football club administrators and coaches rank the importance of injury prevention research highly. The findings of this study are positive for injury prevention researchers and suggest that clubs are keen to participate in such research.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2003

A pilot study of the attitudes of Australian Rules footballers towards protective headgear.

Despite a relatively high risk of injury to participants of Australian Rules football, very few players report wearing protective equipment. The aim of this paper is to describe the results of a pilot survey of the attitudes of community-level Australian Rules football players towards protective headgear and the risk of head injury. Seventy players from four purposefully chosen clubs in metropolitan Melbourne completed a self-report questionnaire at the end of the 2000-playing season. Almost all players (91.4%) reported they did not wear protective headgear during the 2000 season. Non-headgear users said that headgear was too uncomfortable (47.4%) and they didn't like it (42.1%). However, 80.0% of non-users said they would wear it if it prevented injury. The major motivation for wearing headgear was to prevent injury. Players considered rugby, boxing and driving a car, to be associated with a higher-risk of head injury than Australian Rules football. As a group, the players perceived the risk of head injury in Australian Rules football to be low to moderate when compared to other sports and activities. This partially explains why so few players wore protective headgear. Repeat surveys on a larger sample should be conducted to further understand the attitudes towards protective headgear and perceptions of risk in community-level Australian football players.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

A 16 year study of injuries to professional boxers in the state of Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVES: Concerns about the significant injury risks in boxers have been well documented. To inform the continuing debate, updated information about the risk of injury for participants, and suitable means of modifying or preventing these risks, need to be identified. METHODS: Data describing all professional boxing fight outcomes and injuries sustained during competition, from August 1985 to August 2001, were obtained from the Victorian Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board. RESULTS: A total of 107 injuries were recorded from 427 fight participations, corresponding to an injury rate of 250.6 injuries per 1000 fight participations. The most commonly injured body region was the head/neck/face (89.8%), followed by the upper extremities (7.4%). Specifically, injuries to the eye region (45.8%) and concussion (15.9%) were the most common. About three quarters of all injuries were lacerations/open wounds or superficial. No information was available on the mechanism of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should collect information on the mechanism of injury, as this is crucial for the development and implementation of effective injury prevention strategies. A suggested boxing injury report form is provided to facilitate this.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Epidemiology of medically treated sport and active recreation injuries in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify and describe medically treated sport and active recreation injuries in a defined region of the Latrobe Valley from 7 November 1994 to 6 November 1995. METHOD: A geographic target area was defined, restricted to the six postcodes that fell wholly within the catchment area of the Latrobe Regional Hospital. Data describing medically treated sport and active recreation injuries to Latrobe Valley residents aged over 4 years (about 70,000) were selected by postcode from three sources: the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (hospital admissions), the Victorian Injury Surveillance System (presentations to hospital emergency departments), and the Extended Latrobe Valley Injury Surveillance (ELVIS) project (presentations to general practitioners). RESULTS: At least 2300 cases of medically treated sport and active recreation injury were recorded. This corresponds to a hospital admission rate of 16/10,000 population, emergency department presentation rate of 169/10,000 population, and a general practitioner presentation rate of 187/10,000 population. There were more male patients than female, and younger age groups were also overrepresented, but these data may reflect the greater participation of these groups in sport and active recreation. Australian football was associated with the highest number of injuries (accounting for 24.0% and 22.0% of presentations to emergency departments and general practitioners respectively) followed by cycling (15.7% and 12.6%) and basketball (17.5% and 13.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that routine health sector data collections in defined populations can provide useful information on the size, distribution, and characteristics of the problem of sport and active recreation injuries at the community level. However, all current health sector systems for injury data collection and surveillance require attention to improve case capture and identification and data quality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

A 16 year study of injuries to professional kickboxers in the state of Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate and type of injuries occurring to registered professional kickboxers in Victoria, Australia over a 16 year period. METHODS: Data describing all fight outcomes and injuries sustained during competition for the period August 1985 to August 2001 were obtained from the Victorian Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board. RESULTS: A total of 382 injuries were recorded from 3481 fight participations, at an injury rate of 109.7 injuries per 1000 fight participations. The most common body region injured was the head/neck/face (52.5%), followed by the lower extremities (39.8%). Specifically, injuries to the lower leg (23.3%), the face (19.4%), and intracranial injury (17.2%) were the most common. Over 64% of the injuries were superficial bruising or lacerations. CONCLUSION: The nature of kickboxing, whereby kicking the opponent is the prime movement and the head a prime target, is reflected in the distributions of body regions most commonly injured by participants. Further research into injury patterns in different styles of kickboxing and the mechanism of injury occurrence is required. Exposure adjusted prospective studies are needed to monitor injury rates over time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

How valid is a self reported 12 month sports injury history?

BACKGROUND: A past injury history is one of the most commonly cited risk factors for sports injury. Often, injury history data are collected by self report surveys, with the potential for recall bias. OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of a 12 month injury history recall in a population of 70 community level Australian football players. METHODS: The retrospective, self reported injury histories of 70 community level Australian football players were compared with prospective injury surveillance records for the same 12 month period. The accuracy of the players' recall of the number of injuries, injured body regions, and injury diagnosis was assessed. RESULTS: Recall accuracy declined as the level of detail requested increased. All players could recall whether or not they were injured during the previous year. Almost 80% were able to accurately recall the number of injuries and body regions injured, but not the diagnoses, whereas only 61% were able to record the exact number, body region, and diagnosis of each injury sustained. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study highlight the difficulty of using retrospectively collected injury data for research purposes. Any injury research relying on self reported injury history data to establish the relation between injury history and injury risk should consider the validity of the self report injury histories.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A comparison of two injury surveillance systems within sports medicine clinics.

This study compares a comprehensive method of collecting injury data from sports medicine clinics, with a more simplified method of injury surveillance. The sports medicine injury surveillance (SMIS) project was implemented in a group of five allied sports medicine clinics in Melbourne. over two consecutive years. The injury surveillance method used in the second year (SMIS2) was a simplified version of that used in the first year (SMIS1). Methodological differences in the injury surveillance systems included form design, staff commitment and training, auditing process, financial incentives offered and employment of a project officer. Data were collected on 6479 new sports injury patients during SMIS1 and on 1682 patients during SMIS2. Comparative data from the two years of injury surveillance included patient profile (gender. age. days from injury to treatment, sport and context of injury) and injury information (site, cause and nature of injury). The SMIS2 methodology was associated with a lower sensitivity (p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of missing information (p < 0.001) than the SMIS1 methodology. There was also a significant difference in the nature and cause of injury variables (p < 0.001) between SMIS1 and SMIS2 and this was associated with coding changes. This study shows that the method of data collection influences both the proportion of missing information and the sensitivity of the system. A comprehensive method of injury surveillance will lead to a more complete data collection process. Methodological differences, however, do not appear to substantially alter conclusions about general patient characteristics, but do have some influence on the accuracy with which broad injury data are identified. Notwithstanding these comments, this study shows that injury surveillance activities can be successfully implemented in sports medicine clinics.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed2002

The risk of abdominal injury to women during sport.

Although trauma to pregnant women is a potential risk during sport, as there is no published information about the magnitude of this risk, it is presumed to be low. Whilst there is an emerging literature about the risk of adverse outcomes following severe and catastrophic trauma to pregnant women, this literature almost exclusively focuses on road trauma victims or the result of assault. This paper describes the risk of abdominal injuries to women participants across a range of sports in Australia. An extensive search of the available literature could not identify any studies that had discussed this issue specifically in pregnant women. Studies, which have reported injuries in athletes, have generally found abdominal/chest injuries to account for fewer than 2% of all injuries, even in contact sports. Most of these published studies do not differentiate between the chest and abdomen and provide no specfic details on the exact nature or mechanisms of the injuries. Given the limitations of the published studies, an examination of data from two Australian general injury databases (one describing hospital admissions, the other hospital emergency department presentations), three Australian sports-injury treatment databases (sports medicine clinic attendances and medical coverage services) and one cohort study was undertaken to describe sports-related abdominal injuries. These analyses confirm that the risk of abdominal injury during sport is very low. In conclusion, currently there is not an adequate evidence-base for quantifying the risk of abdominal injuries during sport in women, let alone pregnant women or for justifying a ban of sport on this basis. Recommendations for future epidemiological sports injury studies and the potential for linkages with perinatal morbidity and mortality databases are given.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2002

Have the attitudes of Australian squash players towards protective eyewear changed over the past decade?

OBJECTIVE: To assess indicative trends in the use of protective eyewear by Australian squash players and their attitudes towards its use since 1989. METHODS: Data were extracted from three Australian surveys of squash players conducted in 1989, 1995, and 2000. Responses to directly similar attitudinal questions relating to protective eyewear use from each survey were compared. The proportion of players giving each response was calculated for each survey, along with 95% confidence intervals for the differences between the 2000 survey and those from the earlier surveys. RESULTS: Self reported use of protective eyewear ranged from 10.0% in 1989, to 8.6% in 1995, and 18.8% in 2000. However, only 8.9% of the players surveyed in 2000 actually wore appropriate standards approved/polycarbonate lens eyewear. This can be compared with 8.0% and 2.0% of players who reported wearing appropriate polycarbonate lens eyewear in the 1989 and 1995 surveys respectively. Compared with the 1995 survey, significantly more players in 2000 believed that more players should wear protective eyewear (95% confidence interval (CI) for difference 1 to 18). A significantly higher proportion of players also supported the compulsory use of protective eyewear by juniors in 2000 than in both 1989 (95% CI for difference 6 to 24) and 1995 (95% CI for difference 5 to 22). No other attitudes had significantly changed over the decade. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that self reported use of protective eyewear has probably increased over the past decade. However, many players report wearing inappropriate eyewear. A transition from positive attitudes to appropriate eyewear behaviours is required before mandatory protective eyewear use can be effectively introduced.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Are squash players protecting their eyes?

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with adult squash players' protective eyewear behaviours. METHODS: A survey of 303 players (aged >or =18 years) was conducted at three squash venues in Melbourne, Australia over a three week period in June 2000 to obtain information about protective eyewear use. RESULTS: Of 303 participants the response rate was 98.1%; 66.1% were males, with a mean age of 40.5 years. The majority (68.4%) had played squash for 10 years or more. Although 18.8% of players reported using protective eyewear, only 8.9% reported wearing approved eyewear. Both age group (p<0.05) and years of squash experience (p<0.01) were significantly associated with any eyewear use. The two main influences were personal experience of eye injuries (50.0%) and knowledge of eye injury risk (33.9%). A commonly reported barrier was restriction of vision (34.2%). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate a low prevalence of voluntary use of appropriate protective eyewear. Future prevention strategies incorporating education campaigns should focus on increasing players' knowledge of risks. The barriers to use and misconceptions about which types of eyewear is most protective need to be addressed as a priority.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Injury prevention and the promotion of physical activity: what is the nexus?

The promotion of physical activity is a public health priority for Australia. The new "National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians" include a statement on additional health benefits of vigorous sporting and fitness activities. However, injury associated with sport and physical activity can lead to significant health care costs and consequent disabilities and reduced mobility may result in inactivity, this increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. Consideration of injury prevention principles when promoting physical activity is therefore crucial. There are several areas of research needed in this new field. These include the importance of good quality population monitoring and the use of other data sources to determine the population-wide consequences and health costs of injury sustained during sport and physical activity. The goal is to have evidence based, educational, regulatory and other preventive strategies that can be systematically evaluated by drawing on well organised, representative population-based injury data.

Athletic Injuries↗