400 Section - Sports Injury Epidemiology among University of the Philippines University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 Varsity Athletes: The First Institutional Injury Surveillance Study

This study aimed to identify the sports injury epidemiology, burden of illness and associated risk factors among sports season 86 university varsity athletes.


Design:

A retrospective cross-sectional study was done using medical chart data of university varsity athletes from June 2023 to May 2024, and pre-participation screening data for sports seasons 86 and 87. The 2020 International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement was used as framework in data collection and reporting. The main outcomes were the incidence, injury profile, burden of illness, and associated risk factors of sports injuries.


Results:

Ninety-three of the 230 respondents(40.43%) had sports injuries, with an overall injury rate of 1.98 per 1000 athlete-exposure(AE). The most common injury was joint sprain(41.27%), and involved the lower extremities(66.67%). The most common specific injuries were ankle sprain(23.81%), knee sprain(9.52%), and thigh muscle injury(8.73%). Most injuries happened during training(74.19%), during competitive season(47.20%), inside university(72.58%), with supervision(88.62%), new in nature(58.40%), acute, and sudden in onset(46.83%), were directly-related to their sports(95.97%), with a non-contact mechanism(72.22%). Combat sports had the highest injury rates(3.47 and 6.59 per 1000 AE). Knee(62 days lost per 1000 AE), ankle(36.88 days lost per 1000 AE) and shoulder injuries(24.35 days lost per 1000 AE) had the greatest burdens of illness. Injury risk factors include increasing number of years as university athlete, collision and limited contact sports, sport-specific preparation, and adapted warm-up. Increasing age and injury prevention activities were protective from sustaining injury.


Conclusion:

Sports injury prevention strategies should be guided by injury surveillance data. The injury profile and identified training risk factors emphasize the need for both athlete-level and institution-level approaches to injury prevention. Longitudinal studies and focused group discussions are needed to characterize injury trends, and to gain in-depth insights on anomalous risk factors, respectively.