Collegiate Student-Athlete Perception of Value and Programming Barriers in Pre-Participation Movement Screen Implementation.

Abstract

Background: Pre-participation movement screenings, such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™), may have an important role in assessing physical activity readiness before an athletic season. However, the implementation of these screens by qualified health and fitness professionals continues to be challenging due to cost, screen availability, and community accessibility.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess athlete's previous screen exposure, perception of screen value, and identify barriers in performing a pre-participation movement screen for college-aged student-athletes.

Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Methods: A 17-item online survey was emailed to 686 student-athletes throughout the Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campuses. Data were collected from September 2022 to April 2023. Descriptive statistics for nominal and ordinal data were summarized and analyzed for differences with a one-way chi-square test.

Results: A total of 140 college-aged student-athletes (27 male, 83 female, and 1 non-binary) from Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campuses-including Beaver, Behrend, Mont Alto, and Shenango-responded to an online Qualtrics™ survey. Participants varied in academic cohort with representation from each year. In student-athletes who responded to the survey, only 41% (n=41/100) reported that they had ever been exposed to the FMS™. When asked about perceived value, 69% (n=69/99) of student-athletes reported that the screen could aid in the identification of injury vulnerability while 50% (n=50/100) reported that movement screening information could be used in programming to enhance athletic performance. Seventy-five percent of student-athletes responding to the survey reported that they would participate in movement screening if it took less than 10 minutes to complete.

Conclusion: Student-athletes at the collegiate level appear to have little experience with pre-participation movement screens such as the FMS™. Although less than half of the student-athletes reported previous screening experiences, many perceived value in pre-participation movement screens for themselves, coaches, and athletic trainers.