Madison L Brna, Emily A Sweeney, Gregory A Walker, Aubrey M Armento, David R Howell
{"title":"Pulling the Flag: The Physical and Mental Health Effects of High School Flag Football Among Female Adolescents.","authors":"Madison L Brna, Emily A Sweeney, Gregory A Walker, Aubrey M Armento, David R Howell","doi":"10.1097/JSM.0000000000001362","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purposes of this study were to (1) describe the physical effects (injuries) and associated risk factors during flag football season and (2) evaluate in-season mental health of female flag football athletes.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Prospective cohort study.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>We conducted a 4-month longitudinal pilot study of female adolescents participating in a season of high school flag football and nonathlete controls.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Preseason/in-season questionnaires.</p><p><strong>Interventions: </strong>Not applicable.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Participants completed preseason and weekly in-season questionnaires assessing physical activity (PA), injuries, stress, mood, and energy. We calculated sport-related injury rates and used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to assess factors associated with injuries sustained.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nintey-eight participants (n = 83 flag football) participated (mean age = 16.3 ± 1.1 years): 23 sport-related injuries were reported. The injury rate was 7.25 injuries/1000 exposure hours. There were no significant predictors of injury risk. Flag football athletes reported significantly greater in-season physical activity than nonathletes (9.6 ± 4.7 vs 4.5 ± 6.4 h/wk; P < 0.001) but physical activity level was not associated with energy level, mood, or stress. After adjusting for physical activity level and school year, flag football participation was associated with significantly higher energy levels during the season relative to nonathletes (β = 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-1.76; P = 0.02).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The injury rate was 7.25 injuries/1000 exposure hours, and no variables were associated with injury risk. The complex nature of injury makes prediction challenging. Physical activity was not associated with mental health outcomes. Flag football participation was associated with significantly higher energy levels. Flag football may provide some benefit to athlete mental health independent of physical activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":10355,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000001362","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ORTHOPEDICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The purposes of this study were to (1) describe the physical effects (injuries) and associated risk factors during flag football season and (2) evaluate in-season mental health of female flag football athletes.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Participants: We conducted a 4-month longitudinal pilot study of female adolescents participating in a season of high school flag football and nonathlete controls.
Setting: Preseason/in-season questionnaires.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main outcome measures: Participants completed preseason and weekly in-season questionnaires assessing physical activity (PA), injuries, stress, mood, and energy. We calculated sport-related injury rates and used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to assess factors associated with injuries sustained.
Results: Nintey-eight participants (n = 83 flag football) participated (mean age = 16.3 ± 1.1 years): 23 sport-related injuries were reported. The injury rate was 7.25 injuries/1000 exposure hours. There were no significant predictors of injury risk. Flag football athletes reported significantly greater in-season physical activity than nonathletes (9.6 ± 4.7 vs 4.5 ± 6.4 h/wk; P < 0.001) but physical activity level was not associated with energy level, mood, or stress. After adjusting for physical activity level and school year, flag football participation was associated with significantly higher energy levels during the season relative to nonathletes (β = 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-1.76; P = 0.02).
Conclusions: The injury rate was 7.25 injuries/1000 exposure hours, and no variables were associated with injury risk. The complex nature of injury makes prediction challenging. Physical activity was not associated with mental health outcomes. Flag football participation was associated with significantly higher energy levels. Flag football may provide some benefit to athlete mental health independent of physical activity.
期刊介绍:
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine is an international refereed journal published for clinicians with a primary interest in sports medicine practice. The journal publishes original research and reviews covering diagnostics, therapeutics, and rehabilitation in healthy and physically challenged individuals of all ages and levels of sport and exercise participation.