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Purpose: To evaluate the changes in mental health, quality of life (QOL) and physical activity (PA) among adolescent athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic as organised sports resumed.Methods: Adolescent athletes completed surveys including demographic and sport participation information, 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale in May 2020 following COVID-19-related sport cancellations (Spring20) and after returning to sports in May 2021 (Spring21). The groups were balanced by inverse propensity score weighting and compared using analysis of variance models and ordinal regression models.Results: 17 421 participants were included (Spring20=13 002; Spring21=4419; 16.2±1.2 years; 53% female). Anxiety was significantly lower (better) in Spring21 (Spring20=7.0, 95% CI 6.9 to 7.1; Spring21=4.9, 95% CI 4.8 to 5.0, p<0.001), as was the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety (Spring20=29.4%, Spring21=17.1%, p<0.001). Depression was significantly improved in Spring21 (Spring20=7.6, 95% CI 7.5 to 7.7; Spring21=4.6, 95% CI 4.5 to 4.8, p<0.001), as was the prevalence of moderate to severe depression (Spring20=32.2%, Spring21=15.4%, p<0.001). Athletes in Spring21 reported higher QOL (Spring20=79.6, 95% CI 79.3 to 79.9; Spring21=84.7, 95% CI 84.4 to 85.0, p<0.001) and increased levels of PA (Spring20=13.8, 95% CI 13.6 to 13.9; Spring21=22.7, 95% CI 22.6 to 22.9, p<0.001).Conclusion: Early COVID-19 sports restrictions were associated with worsening mental health in adolescents. In 2021, after returning to sports, athletes reported significant improvements in mental health, QOL and PA, although mental health adversities remain an important priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The psychological impacts of injuries in youth athletes remain poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of injury on quality of life (QOL) and sleep in female high school volleyball athletes.Methods: 2073 female high school volleyball players (15.6±1.1 years) completed the Pediatric Quality of Life survey (total QOL, physical, social, school, emotional and psychosocial function) and reported average sleep duration at the start and end of the season. Injury data were collected by school athletic trainers. Mixed effects linear regression models were used to compare changes in QOL and sleep duration during the season between (1) injured and uninjured athletes and (2) injured athletes who did or did not suffer a season-ending injury.Results: Time-loss injuries were reported in 187 athletes with complete preseason and postseason data. During the season, injured athletes demonstrated a greater decrease in total QOL (β=-1.3±0.5, p=0.012), as well as physical function (β=-1.6±0.6, p=0.012), school function (β=-2.0±0.76, p=0.01) and psychosocial function domains (β=-1.2±0.6, p=0.039) compared with uninjured athletes. Athletes who sustained a season-ending injury had a significantly greater decrease in total QOL (β=-6.8±2.0, p=0.006) and physical function (β=-17±2.9, p<0.001) compared with injured athletes who were able to return to play during the season.Conclusion: In-season injuries are associated with significant decreases in total QOL as well as physical and psychosocial function. Healthcare providers should consider the impacts of injuries on QOL and sleep in youth athletes in order to optimise management and improve overall health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport specialisation is becoming increasingly common among youth and adolescent athletes in the USA and many have raised concern about this trend. Although research on sport specialisation has grown significantly, numerous pressing questions remain pertaining to short-term and long-term effects of specialisation on the health and well-being of youth, including the increased risk of overuse injury and burnout. Many current elite athletes did not specialise at an early age. Methodological and study design limitations impact the quality of current literature, and researchers need to prioritise pressing research questions to promote safe and healthy youth sport participation. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine hosted a Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit in April 2019 with the goal of synthesising and reviewing current scientific knowledge and developing a research agenda to guide future research in the field based on the identified gaps in knowledge. This statement provides a broad summary of the existing literature, gaps and limitations in current evidence and identifies key research priorities to help guide researchers conducting research on youth sport specialisation. Our goals are to help improve the quality and relevance of research on youth sport specialisation and to ultimately assure that opportunities for healthy and safe sport participation continue for all youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There have been no large randomised controlled trials to determine whether soccer headgear reduces the incidence or severity of sport-related concussion (SRC) in US high school athletes.Objective: We aimed to determine whether headgear reduces the incidence or severity (days out from soccer) of SRCs in soccer players.Methods: 2766 participants (67% female, age 15.6±1.2) (who undertook 3050 participant years) participated in this cluster randomised trial. Athletes in the headgear (HG) group wore headgear during the season, while those in the no headgear (NoHG) group did not. Staff recorded SRC and non-SRC injuries and soccer exposures. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine time-to-SRC between groups, while severity was compared with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test.Results: 130 participants (5.3% female, 2.2% male) sustained an SRC. The incidence of SRC was not different between the HG and NoHG groups for males (HR: 2.00 (0.63-6.43) p=0.242) and females (HR: 0.86 (0.54-1.36) p=0.520). Days lost from SRC were not different (p=0.583) between the HG group (13.5 (11.0-018.8) days) and the NoHG group (13.0 (9.0-18.8) days).Conclusions: Soccer headgear did not reduce the incidence or severity of SRC in high school soccer players.Trial Registration Number: NCT02850926. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares skiing and snowboarding injuries in terrain parks versus slopes at two ski areas, 2000e05. A total of 3953 (26.7%) injuries occurred in terrain parks, predominantly among young male snowboarders. Terrain park injuries were more likely to be severe, involving head (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.48) or back (RR 1.96, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.29). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Guardian Caps (GCs) have been widely implemented at all levels of American football participation based on laboratory evidence that they may reduce head impact forces. The purpose of this study was to determine if GC use during practice was associated with a lower risk of sport-related concussion (SRC) during practices and games among high school football players., Methods: Data were collected on 2610 athletes from 41 Wisconsin schools that self-selected into GC or Non-GC cohorts. Athletic trainers recorded practice and game exposures and SRCs through the 2023 season. Generalised linear mixed models were built to determine the effect of GC utilisation on SRC rates, accounting for school and player exposures., Results: In the total cohort (Non-GC n=1188 (45.5%); GC n=1422 (54.5%)), 180 athletes (6.9%) sustained SRCs. 64 SRCs occurred during practice (GC n=33 (51.6%); Non-GC n=31 (48.4%)). GC use was not associated with a decreased risk of SRC during practice in the univariable analysis (relative risk (RR)=1.04, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.86, p=0.90) or after accounting for previous SRC within the last year (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.79, p=0.97). No players of either cohort wore GCs during games. There were 116 SRCs sustained during games (GC n=68 (58.6%); Non-GC n=48 (41.4%)). GC use during practice was not associated with the risk of SRC during games in the univariable analysis (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.78, p=0.60) or after accounting for previous SRC within the last year (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.78, p=0.61)., Conclusion: GC use during practice in high school American football players was not associated with a decreased risk of sustaining SRC in practice or games., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Dr. Hammer is principal investigator and team physician for the University of Wisconsin football team. Dr. Brooks is the District VI representative on the AAP National Nominating Committee and a member of the AAP Council on Sports Medicine & Fitness and former Chair of its Executive Committee. No other disclosures were reported., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)