Work-Related Risks of Certified Athletic Trainers

描述（由申请人提供）：这项全国性队列研究的目的是描述工伤和肌肉骨骼症状的发生率，确定职业暴露，并探讨在各种行业雇用的认证运动教练（AT）中这些结果的风险因素。这一系列行业构成了其他卫生专业所没有的独特的职业暴露组合。在全国范围内，对AT的职业健康和危险因素知之甚少。该项目提供了一个机会，以更好地了解AT所面临的危险，以便可以确定预防措施。我们将采用定量和定性相结合的方法，1）收集一个20年的AT回顾性队列，2）描述8-15年期间向国家工人赔偿报告的工伤和疾病的特征并计算其发生率，3）招募一个前瞻性队列，以确定工伤，疾病，和肌肉骨骼症状，并记录个人管理策略（如自我治疗），以及4）通过构建工作暴露矩阵，描述和对比不同就业环境中与工作有关的暴露和工作条件。由于美国肥胖率的上升和体育活动生活方式的推广，对AT在护理和预防活动相关伤害方面的专业知识的需求也将增加。描述与工作相关的暴露和结果将是对当前和未来AT的健康产生积极影响的第一步。主要研究者（PI）将由一个导师团队指导，该团队包括在监测，职业流行病学和暴露评估方面具有丰富经验的高级教师，以及一名高级研究员，他是一名流行病学家，在运动训练方面具有专业知识。除了获得AT职业健康问题方面的专业知识外，PI还将学习获取，管理和分析大型行政数据集，并建立，招募和跟踪大型职业队列。这些经验将培养PI在调查设计、先进暴露评估技术以及定性方法在流行病学研究中的综合应用方面的知识和技能。该项目建立在PI先前的工作经验基础上，将允许开发新技能，同时也为研究独特和未充分研究的医疗保健提供者群体中与工作相关的结果做出贡献。 公共卫生相关性：认证的运动教练（AT）是一个专业的医疗保健提供者群体，在各种就业环境中工作，以照顾和预防身体活动的个人受伤。很少有人知道AT的工作暴露和肌肉骨骼损伤。描述与工作相关的暴露和结果将是积极影响AT健康的第一步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this national cohort study is to describe the incidence of work-related injury and musculoskeletal symptoms, identify occupational exposures, and explore risk factors for these outcomes among certified athletic trainers (AT) employed in a variety of industries. This range of industries contributes to a unique combination of occupational exposures to which other heath professions are not exposed. Little is known about the occupational health and risk factors among ATs on a national scale. This project provides an opportunity to develop a better understanding of the hazards faced by ATs so that prevention measures can be identified. We will employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to 1) assemble a 20-year retrospective cohort of ATs, 2) describe the characteristics and calculate rates of work-related injury and illness reported to state workers' compensation over an 8-15 year period, 3) enroll a prospective cohort to determine prevalence and incidence of work-related injury, illness, and musculoskeletal symptoms and document individual management strategies (e.g. self-treatment), and 4) describe and contrast work-related exposures and working conditions in different employment settings by constructing a job exposure matrix. Due to the rise in obesity rates and the promotion of physically active lifestyles in the US, demand for ATs' expertise in care and prevention of activity-related injuries will also increase. Describing work-related exposures and outcomes will be the first step in order to positively impact the health of current and future ATs. The Principal Investigator (PI) will be guided by a team of mentors that includes senior faculty members with extensive experience in surveillance, occupational epidemiology, and exposure assessment, and a senior investigator who is an epidemiologist with expertise in the subject of athletic training. In addition to gaining expertise in the subject of occupational health issues among ATs, the PI will learn to acquire, manage, and analyze large administrative datasets and establish, recruit, and follow a large occupational cohort. This experience will develop the PIs knowledge and skills in survey design, advanced exposure assessment techniques, and comprehensive application of qualitative methods in epidemiologic studies. This project builds upon the PI's prior work experiences and will allow development of new skills while also making a contribution to the study of work- related outcomes among a unique and understudied group of health care providers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Certified athletic trainers (AT) are a specialized group of healthcare providers working in a variety of employment settings in order to care for and prevent injuries among physically active individuals. Little is known about work exposures and musculoskeletal injuries among ATs. Describing work-related exposures and outcomes will be the first step in order to positively impact the health of ATs.