Relationship between survey responses and player characteristics
| OR (95% CIs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad category/theme | Age (years) (<25 vs 25+) | LLI in last season (no vs yes) | No of seasons played (<10 vs 10+) | Playing in most senior competition (no vs yes) |
| Attending a University lab for testing | ||||
| I would visit a university to test my AFL skills if I thought this would help me to play better | 0.83 (0.52 to 1.30) | 1.13 (0.74 to 1.74) | 0.78 (0.49 to 1.23) | 0.93 (0.60 to 1.45) |
| I would visit a university to test my AFL skills if I thought this would decrease my risk of LLI | 0.85 (0.55 to 1.31) | 1.36 (0.91 to 2.04) | 0.98 (0.63,1.53) | 1.13 (0.74 to 1.72) |
| Doing additional training outside a club setting | ||||
| I would do extra training at home if I thought it would help me to play better | 0.73 (0.38 to 1.41) | 1.14 (0.61 to 2.12) | 0.67 (0.34 to 1.33) | 1.76 (0.92 to 3.39) |
| I would do extra training at home if I thought this would decrease my risk of LLI | 0.86 (0.53 to 1.40) | 1.55 (1.10 to 2.45) | 1.27 (0.77 to 2.08) | 0.96 (0.60 to 1.53) |
| Beliefs about injury outcomes | ||||
| Injuries usually do not stop you missing more than one game | 0.67 (0.42 to 0.95) | 0.92 (0.62 to 1.37) | 0.84 (0.55 to 1.30) | 0.74 (0.49 to 1.12) |
| I would stop playing if I got an LLI | 0.93 (0.61 to 1.42) | 1.14 (0.77 to 1.67) | 0.80 (0.53 to 1.22) | 0.96 (0.65 to 1.43) |
| I feel under pressure to continue to play in a game when I am injured | 0.77 (0.49 to 1.21) | 1.19 (0.79 to 1.79) | 0.83 (0.53 to 1.29) | 0.61 (0.40 to 0.93) |
| Players who continue to play with LLIs are likely to suffer physical problems later in life | 0.61 (0.38 to 0.92) | 1.27 (0.81 to 2.00) | 1.15 (0.70 to 1.90) | 0.75 (0.47 to 1.21) |
| I would play with an LLI if it meant we got into the finals | 0.54 (0.28 to 0.96) | 1.40 (0.73 to 2.69) | 2.24 (1.07 to 4.72) | 2.97 (1.41 to 6.23) |
| Beliefs about injury prevention and training | ||||
| LLIs can be prevented by stricter refereeing in games | 0.63 (0.39 to 1.00) | 1.10 (0.71 to 1.68) | 1.12 (0.70 to 1.79) | 0.45 (0.29 to 0.71) |
| Attending AFL training prevents LLIs | 0.83 (0.54 to 1.28) | 0.86 (0.58 to 1.28) | 1.16 (0.75 to 1.79) | 0.68 (0.45 to 1.02) |
| LLIs can be prevented by doing specific training and exercises | 0.78 (0.47 to 1.30) | 1.00 (0.62 to 1.62) | 0.60 (0.36 to 0.98) | 0.70 (0.43 to 1.15) |
| Beliefs about injury risk | ||||
| Preventing LLIs is not a large concern for me at my level of play | 0.57 (0.37 to 0.89) | 0.92 (0.61 to 1.38) | 1.11 (0.71 to 1.73) | 0.57 (0.37 to 0.86) |
| Players do not need to be fully rehabilitated from an LLI before playing AFL again | 0.85 (0.55 to 1.32) | 1.38 (1.04 to 2.07) | 0.77 (0.49 to 1.19) | 0.95 (0.63 to 1.45) |
| Ankle injuries are more common than knee injuries in AFL | 0.81 (0.53 to 1.24) | 1.07 (0.72 to 1.59) | 0.94 (0.62 to 1.44) | 0.61 (0.41 to 0.92) |
| I would be targeted by opposition if I wore visible protective equipment | 0.47 (0.31 to 0.71) | 1.02 (0.70 to 1.50) | 1.01 (0.66 to 1.53) | 1.07 (0.72 to 1.60) |
| LLIs in AFL are often caused by foul play | 0.53 (0.32 to 0.88) | 1.03 (0.66 to 1.61) | 0.81 (0.50 to 1.32) | 0.65 (0.41 to 1.04) |
| AFL has a high risk of LLIs | 0.56 (0.33 to 0.96) | 1.90 (1.13 to 3.20) | 0.82 (0.47 to 1.40) | 1.23 (0.73 to 2.08) |
| Responsibility for injury prevention and source of knowledge | ||||
| The coach is in charge of preventing injuries at training sessions | 0.84 (0.52 to 1.35) | 0.96 (0.62 to 1.49) | 0.67 (0.41 to 0.97) | 0.86 (0.54 to 1.35) |
| Team coaches/physiotherapists have taught me what I know about preventing LLIs | 0.86 (0.55 to 1.34) | 0.97 (0.64 to 1.47) | 1.35 (0.87 to 2.12) | 1.52 (1.00 to 2.33) |
| Team mates have taught me what I know about preventing LLIs | 0.76 (0.49 to 1.17) | 0.82 (0.55 to 1.22) | 1.00 (0.65 to 1.54) | 0.62 (0.41 to 0.93) |
| Beliefs about training | ||||
| People who train more can play harder | 0.57 (0.33 to 0.98) | 0.95 (0.57 to 1.57) | 1.34 (0.76 to 2.36) | 0.56 (0.33 to 0.96) |
| Players who do not attend training regularly get injured | 1.25 (0.82 to 1.91) | 1.21 (0.82 to 1.78) | 0.88 (0.58 to 1.35) | 1.00 (0.67 to 1.50) |
| Training should focus more on improving game performance than on preventing injuries | 0.67 (0.43 to 0.94) | 0.86 (0.56 to 1.31) | 1.10 (0.69 to 1.74) | 1.15 (0.75 to 1.78) |
Data are odds ratios (OR) (95% CI) for comparisons across player groups. Bold values indicate significant relationships.
AFL, Australian Football League; LLI, lower-limb injury.