Youth athletes at Swedish sports high schools with an athletics specialism emphasise environmental support for injury risk management : a focus group study

In this study, we examined knowledge and understandingof sport-related injuries among youth athletics (track andfield) athletes and assessed their needs in managing anyhealth problems. Qualitative data were collected via 12focus groups with youth athletes (16–19 years) studying atSwedish sports high schools with an athletics specialism. Allfocus group discussions were audiorecorded and transcribedbefore being analysed using a thematic analysis approach.Four researchers independently reviewed the transcripts,generated codes and developed themes. Three overarchingthemes related to the athletes’ knowledge and understandingof sport-related injury were developed: (1) awareness ofinjuries, (2) perception of injuries, and (3) factors contributingto injuries. The youth athletes were typically uncertain abouthow to acknowledge a sport-related injury. They expressed thatknowledge about injuries was obtained in part by reflecting onthe lived experiences of their peers. It was also demonstratedthat there appears to be a ‘culture of acceptance’ regardinginjury occurrence. In contrast, causes of injuries were viewedas dependent on multiple factors (eg, lack of context-specificknowledge about training practices). Regarding athletes’needs in managing injuries, an additional three themes weredeveloped: (1) creating functioning elite sports environments,(2) application of knowledge and (3) fostering athletes. Anapparent lack of structure and organisation related to theschool environment was identified as an important issueto review to create opportunities for sustainable athleticdevelopment. The study identified areas that can be improvedin Swedish sports high schools with an athletic specialism andcould be applied in other youth sports contexts. The resultsof this study guide school stakeholders, alongside the sportgoverning bodies who have the mandate to influence activitiesin youth sports contexts, whereby special attention should bedirected towards improving the social environmen