Rugby Union (“rugby”) is a popular sport with high injury risk. Burden of injury is described by the incidence and severity of injury. However reports have ignored the monetary cost of injuries. Therefore the aim of this study was to describe the monetary cost associated with youth rugby injuries. This descriptive study quantified medical treatments of injured players at the South African Rugby Union Youth tournaments in 2011/2012 and the days of work parents missed as a result of the injuries. A health insurer used these data to calculate associated costs.
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Ankle App gaining ground
A couple of months ago we launched our ‘ankle’ application for iOS and Android and it created a fair bit of buzz. The App has been covered in various blogs, talks and magazines. We are - of course - very happy with that. The App has now been recognised as an efficient tool in any therapist's and physician's toolbox. In an attractive, interactive and self-guiding manner the App guides an athlete or patient that suffered and ankle sprain, through a set of preventive exercises that prevent recurrence. As such, more and more caregivers are advising the App to their patients after rehabilitation.
Read MorePhysical activity helps children pay attention in class
The relationship between physical activity and academic performance is a hot topic in contemporary PA literature. Does PA lead to an increased ability to study and acquire cognitive skills? The discussion is still open, and evidence for an acute effect of physical activity on cognitive performance within the school setting is limited. We set out to provide previously untold arguments in favour of PA. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into acute effects of a short physical activity bout on selective attention in primary school children, specifically in the school setting.
Read MoreWhy we must report adverse effects of physical activity promotion
The potential for adverse effects of PA - injuries - and the need to mitigate them, are mostly ignored in PA research and PA interventions alike. We argue in this piece that injuries should not be neglected and that prevention strategies will ensure that all can enjoy PA throughout their lifespans.
Read MoreEconomics of Physical Inactivity Consensus
Just recently the BJSM published the Consensus Statement from the first Economics of Physical Inactivity Consensus (EPIC) Conference. This consensus summarises the outcome of discussions as they apply to the health and economic burden of physical inactivity, held at the EPIC Conference in 2011 Vancouver. Specifically, the consensus (1) details existing evidence on effective physical inactivity prevention strategies; (2) introduces economic evaluation and its role in health policy decisions; (3) discusses key challenges in establishing and building health economic evaluation evidence (including accurate and reliable costs and clinical outcome measurement) and (4) provides insight into interpretation of economic evaluations in this critically important field.
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