Newswise — Athletes hailing from economically disadvantaged nations necessitate additional education regarding health in order to avert injuries during rigorous training. However, paradoxically, augmented awareness can also amplify the likelihood of harm in the absence of accessible medically trained specialists. This is the deduction drawn by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, in their recent study on athletic inequality.
"Remarkably disparaging variations in support resources were observed among junior athletes from diverse regions across the globe. European participants benefited from comprehensive medical teams and computerized analysis programs as assistance, whereas young East African contenders primarily relied on a family member or teacher from their native village," states Professor Toomas Timpka from the Department of Health, Medicine, and Caring Sciences at Linköping University.
The researchers conducted investigations involving both junior and senior athletes who partook in two high-level international athletics championships in 2017. In their recently published study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they surveyed 780 athletes from various countries, inquiring about their encounters with injury symptoms during their training preparations and, if so, whether such experiences prompted them to modify their training routines.
Furthermore, the athletes were also questioned regarding their capacity to independently acquire and apply health knowledge for injury prevention, a concept referred to by the researchers as health literacy. This particular domain remains relatively unexplored, with limited existing knowledge.
In addition, the researchers employed the United Nations' annual development index, which evaluates countries based on various factors such as education and income levels, as a means to estimate the medical support resources available to national teams. Professor Toomas Timpka mentioned that incorporating development indices into research is a novel approach.
The study revealed significant disparities in health knowledge between adults and young individuals. Only 13 percent of the junior athletes were deemed to possess basic health literacy, in contrast to 41 percent of the adults. Irrespective of age, athletes hailing from countries with a higher development index exhibited greater knowledge compared to their counterparts from other regions of the world.
But the results also show that good individual knowledge is not all that matters.
When examining athletes within a well-equipped national team, the study demonstrated a higher likelihood for those with ample knowledge to adjust their training regimen upon experiencing injury symptoms compared to their counterparts with less knowledge within the same team.
However, in national teams with limited resources, like the Kenyan team, the opposite trend was observed. In such cases, individuals with higher knowledge levels had a lower probability of reducing their training in comparison to their less knowledgeable counterparts.
The researchers draw the conclusion that individual athletes' knowledge alone is insufficient. In fact, in the worst cases, it can lead to an overestimation of their ability to make accurate judgments. What truly makes a difference is the availability of access to medically trained professionals who can provide advice and support. However, there exists significant inequality between countries in terms of access to such resources.
To address the disparity in health literacy among young individuals, Toomas Timpka proposes that World Athletics, the international athletics federation, collaborates with the UN Development Programme. By doing so, it would be possible to ensure that everyone involved in athletics receives a comprehensive education that aligns with the global sustainability goals. This approach aims to bridge the gap and promote equal access to education and knowledge within the athletic community.
Addressing the unfair distribution of support resources presents a more challenging task. Toomas Timpka highlights that direct financial contributions are susceptible to corruption, posing a risk. One potential solution could involve wealthier associations sharing their personnel and technical resources with less fortunate athletes through the platform of World Athletics, particularly prior to major championships. This approach aims to mitigate the disparities and provide support to athletes in need.
The researchers have not yet explored the impact of the disparities in support resources on the competitive performance of athletes. However, they intend to pursue this line of investigation in conjunction with the upcoming World Athletics Championships scheduled for Budapest in the summer of 2023. By conducting further research during this event, they aim to gain insights into the potential consequences of unequal support on the athletes' results.
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