Document Type
Article
Abstract
Yeargin, SW, Meyer, CM, Hirschhorn, RM, Lane, AD, Arent, SM, and Haggard, CR. Characterization of health and safety resources for athletes with sickle cell trait at NCAA institutions. J Strength Cond Res 38(11): 1967-1973, 2024 - The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of student-athletes with sickle cell trait (SCT), determine which screening practices are most commonly used, describe the health and human performance services provided to athletes, and ascertain if differences between National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) designations or divisions exist. A cross-sectional survey design was used to query healthcare administrators regarding SCT resources at their institution. The independent variables were designation (historically Black colleges or universities [HBCUs] or non-HBCU) and Division (DI, DII, and DIII). The dependent variables were SCT prevalence, and the health and human performance services provided to athletes. Of the 60 respondents, HBCU (n = 16) reported 4.9 ± 2.7% of athletes with SCT, which was higher than non-HBCU (1.1 ± 0.8%; p = 0.022). Historically Black colleges or university reported a higher percentage of student-athletes supplying their own screening results than non-HBCU (52.5 ± 39.2 vs. 12.9 ± 24.0%; p = 0.022). Division III reported higher proportions of waivers than DI (68.3 ± 38.4 vs. 16.9 ± 31.0%; p = 0.010). Most schools (n = 42, 70.0%) reported having policy and procedures regarding exertional sickling, but none (n = 60, 100.0%) involved strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) during development. Practically, a greater proportion of DII and DIII institutions do not have supplemental oxygen available compared with DI but not statistically (p = 0.058). Pragmatically, the prevalence should be considered when ordering and preparing resources annually. NCAA institutions need to create policy and procedure sections beyond screening. Athletic trainers and SCCs need to have a strong collaborative relationship to optimize health and human performance services.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Publication Info
Published in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Issue 11, 2024, pages 1967-1973.
Rights
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
APA Citation
Yeargin, S. W., Meyer, C. M., Hirschhorn, R. M., Lane, A. D., Arent, S. M., & Haggard, C. R. (2024). Characterization of Health and Safety Resources for Athletes With Sickle Cell Trait at NCAA Institutions. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 38(11). https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004899