No description available.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic in the Department of Chiropractic at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2006. / The aim or purpose of this study is to determine the injury profile of gymnasts in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; and to compare it with the international data that are available. Factors that should be considered regarding differences in the injury profile of South African gymnasts as compared with international gymnasts include: 1. Difference in standard of gymnastics (Cameron-Smith, 2005) 2. Sudden increase in the standard of South African gymnastics in an attempt to match that of other countries, which may lead to an increase in training hours, and attempts at more risky new manoeuvres. This, in turn, may increase the risk of injury (Cameron-Smith, 2005). For the purpose of this study, the following information was gathered in terms of: - Demographics of South African gymnasts - The participants’ gymnastics history - The presence of any past or current injuries, and - If present, factors relating to these injuries were investigated. This information mentioned above was gathered with the aim of helping to identify any problems that may exist, quantifying the extent of these problems and identifying to some extent the potential risk factors. This would be beneficial to South African gymnasts if recommendations for prevention of potential injuries were made, should any common injuries, or possible risk factors or associations be discovered/identified (Chadwick, 2004).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Annie Clement, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 13, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 128 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 19-20).

Physical education programs, athletic programs and intramural sports programs are a vital part of the American educational system. However, since the mid-sixties, there has been an increase in sports injury litigation against the teachers and coaches who direct and supervise these programs. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study was to report the legal liability of elementary, secondary and higher education physical educators, athletic coaches and intramural sports directors from 1977-1987. In addition this study compared the holdings of the court cases from 1977-1987 to the holdings of the court cases found in five unpublished manuscripts. From 1977 to 1987 there were 92 elementary and secondary lawsuits and 19 college lawsuits involving these professionals, including their supervisors. There were 41 cases involving liability against the boards of education and boards of trustees. The groups were found not liable in 23 of the cases. The primary reason for not being liable was their protection from suit because of the doctrine of governmental immunity. However, in states where the doctrine of governmental immunity did not exist boards of education and boards of trustees were found liable for improper supervision, lack of proper medical assistance and creating a dangerous situation or hazard. Sixteen cases were reported against school employees. In 10 of the cases the court rulings were held against these employees. The reasons included: improper supervision, failure to follow state athletic association rules and improper instruction. Cases held in favor of the school employees resulted when: employees were acting within the scope of their employment, the employees were providing adequate supervision and instruction and the students purposely disregarded safety rules. The results of this study, when compared to five previous studies, indicated that even though the number of cases reported were similar the present study showed an increase in the number of decisions favoring the plaintiff at the elementary and secondary level. Also, the present study revealed an increase of 250% in the number of lawsuits reported at the college level and a 23% increase in the number of cases favoring the plaintiff. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to compile a concise and non-technical report of the Texas statutes and court decisions concerning school injuries.

Thèse ou mémoire avec insertion d'articles. / Ce mémoire met de l'avant l'importance des approches collaboratives entre professionnels de santé afin d'améliorer l'efficience du système de santé. Plus spécifiquement, il s'intéresse au potentiel de telles approches pour l'évaluation initiale et la prise en charge des commotions cérébrales (CC) dans le sport. Au Canada, à la suite de l'identification d'une CC présumée, il est recommandé d'obtenir systématiquement une évaluation médicale pour exclure d'autres conditions et confirmer le diagnostic. Cependant, la disponibilité des ressources médicales qualifiées pour ce type d'évaluation est limitée. Pour mieux comprendre et supporter le développement d'approches collaboratives entre professionnels de santé pour la gestion des CC, ce mémoire s'est questionné sur : 1) la performance du SCAT5, l'outil d'évaluation des CC utilisé en milieu sportif, pour la détection des CC et le dépistage des situations d'urgence dans lesquelles les traumatismes craniocérébraux graves doivent être considérés; et 2) le niveau d'accord entre la détection de CC présumées en milieux sportifs et le diagnostic médical subséquent. Les résultats de ces deux composantes du mémoire ont permis : 1) d'identifier cinq critères à ajouter au SCAT5 afin d'optimiser le dépistage des lésions craniocérébrales plus sévères et 2) de démontrer un accord presque parfait entre la détection des CC présumées et le diagnostic médical subséquent (proportion d'accord = 98%, k = 0,95). Ces résultats appuient la poursuite de l'évaluation des approches collaboratives pour la gestion des CC, comme celle accordant un rôle élargi aux physiothérapeutes au Québec. Par ailleurs, ces travaux ont permis d'identifier des pistes de solutions pour optimiser le SCAT5 en support à de telles stratégies. / This thesis highlights the importance of collaborative approaches between health professionals to improve the efficiency of the health system. More specifically, it addresses the potential of such approaches for the initial assessment and management of concussion in sport. In Canada, following the identification of presumed concussion, it is recommended to systematically obtain a medical evaluation to exclude other conditions and confirm the diagnosis. However, the availability of qualified medical resources for this type of assessment is limited. To better understand and support the development of collaborative approaches between health professionals for the management of concussions, the following questions were considered: 1) How can the SCAT5, the tool used for evaluating concussions in sport settings, to optimize the detection of concussions and screen for situations where more serious traumatic brain injuries should be considered?, and 2) What is the level of agreement between the detection of presumed concussions in sports settings and the subsequent medical diagnosis. The results of these two components of the thesis allowed to: 1) identify five criteria that could be added to the SCAT5 to optimize the detection of more severe craniocerebral lesions and; 2) demonstrate an almost perfect agreement between the detection of presumed CC and the subsequent medical diagnosis (proportion of agreement = 98%, k = 0.95). These results support further investigation of collaborative approaches for the management of concussions, such as those granting an expanded role to physiotherapists in Quebec. In addition, this work allowed to identify specific elements that could inform the evolution of the SCAT5 in support of such strategies.

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 11 octobre 2023) / La prise en charge des commotions cérébrales chez les athlètes représente un défi majeur pour les professionnels travaillant auprès des équipes sportives. Pour améliorer la précision de l'évaluation, il est recommandé d'utiliser conjointement des tests neurocognitifs et l'évaluation des symptômes. Toutefois, plusieurs études mettent en évidence le manque d'outils présentant des propriétés psychométriques adéquates, ainsi que la tendance des athlètes à ne pas signaler les incidents, de peur d'être retirés du jeu. Un manque d'adhésion aux protocoles de gestion des commotions cérébrales est bien documenté. Il est nécessaire de développer des outils alternatifs, plus engageants, pertinents, dotés de bonnes propriétés écologiques et sans effet de pratique, afin qu'ils soient plus représentatifs de la réalité des athlètes et contribuent aussi à sensibiliser ces derniers à la question. La présente thèse vise à valider une nouvelle approche de l'évaluation neurocognitive des athlètes à risque de commotion cérébrale, en utilisant l'outil SENIC (Simulation ENgageante Immersive et Cognitive) comme prototype de cette approche. SENIC est une application mobile conçue en collaboration avec les acteurs du milieu, mettant l'accent sur la validité écologique en utilisant une tâche contextualisée au sport de l'athlète. La tâche est ainsi basée sur des séquences vidéo de matchs sportifs pour évaluer le fonctionnement cognitif de l'athlète dans une simulation dynamique, engageante et réaliste de son sport pour favoriser la motivation et l'implication dans le processus d'évaluation. L'Étude 1 a permis d'analyser la stabilité des performances dans le temps en vérifiant l'effet de pratique qui est souvent associé à l'administration des mesures répétées des tâches neurocognitives. Les résultats indiquent que les performances à SENIC demeurent assez stables dans le temps, ce qui permet d'atténuer l'effet de pratique, contrairement à la majorité des tâches neurocognitives couramment utilisées. Dans l'Étude 2, il était question d'analyser l'engagement et l'appréciation des participants à la tâche SENIC en comparaison avec une autre tâche neurocognitive traditionnelle. Les résultats ne supportent pas un engagement supérieur à SENIC sur la base des questionnaires utilisés, mais les résultats aux groupes de discussion réaffirment la nécessité de développer des outils avec une meilleure validité écologique et apparente pour les athlètes. Dans l'Étude 3, l'objectif était d'établir la validité de construit entre SENIC, lequel mesure le fonctionnement cognitif avec une tâche de cognition dynamique, en comparaison avec une tâche évaluant celui-ci de façon segmentée. Les résultats suggèrent des corrélations significatives entre plusieurs indicateurs des deux tâches, suggérant une certaine validité de convergence. Finalement, une étude de cohorte est présentée dans l'Étude 4 ayant pour objectif de documenter la sensibilité de SENIC à détecter les commotions cérébrales. Les résultats suggèrent une détérioration de la performance aux mesures principales de SENIC (temps de détection, pourcentage de bonnes réponses et score d'efficacité inverse) pour tous les participants ayant subi une commotion et ayant un test présaison valide. Ces indicateurs, qui prennent en compte le compromis vitesse-justesse, apparaissent sensibles à la symptomatologie cognitive post-commotionnelle et devraient être pris en compte dans l'évaluation des athlètes. L'utilisation d'un questionnaire post-expérimental appuie la tendance des athlètes à ne pas rapporter les commotions, soulevant une préoccupation importante quant à la sensibilisation et la sécurité des athlètes. Dans l'ensemble, les résultats de cette thèse soutiennent jusqu'à maintenant l'utilisation de SENIC pour mesurer le fonctionnement cognitif post-commotionnel, mais davantage d'études seront nécessaires pour confirmer ses propriétés psychométriques et sa sensibilité aux commotions. Les résultats de cette thèse mettent en évidence l'importance d'améliorer l'approche d'évaluation neurocognitive post-commotionnelle. Les résultats soulignent notamment la pertinence d'une approche individualisée dépourvue d'un effet de pratique. Les résultats mettent aussi en évidence l'importance d'améliorer la validité écologique des tâches, la pertinence de tenir compte des modèles théoriques cognitifs du temps de réaction et l'importance d'utiliser des indicateurs cognitifs valides et sensibles, comme le temps de réaction en prenant en compte le compromis vitesse-justesse. Les études futures viseront à approfondir la sensibilité de SENIC aux commotions et à introduire un appareil d'analyse du mouvement oculaire pour améliorer la procédure d'évaluation. / Managing concussions in athletes is a major challenge for professionals working with sports teams. To improve the accuracy of the evaluation, it is recommended to use both neurocognitive tests and symptom assessment. However, several studies highlight the limited availability of tools with adequate psychometric properties, as well as athletes' tendency to not report incidents out of fear of being removed from the game. A lack of adherence to concussion management protocols is also well documented. Therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative tools that are more engaging, relevant, with good ecological properties and without practice effects, so that they are more representative of athletes' reality and contribute to raising awareness among them on this issue. This thesis aims to validate a new approach to neurocognitive assessment of athletes at risk of concussion, using the tool SENIC (Simulation ENgaging Immersive and Cognitive) as a prototype for this approach. SENIC is a mobile application designed in collaboration with potential users and health professionals, emphasizing ecological validity by using a sport-specific contextualized task for the athlete. The task is based on video footage of sports games to assess the athlete's cognitive functioning in a dynamic, engaging, and realistic simulation of their sport, to promote motivation and engagement in the evaluation process. Study 1 aimed to analyze the stability of performance over time by examining the practice effect often associated with repeated administration of neurocognitive tasks. The results suggest that performance on SENIC is stable over time (reduce practice effect), unlike the majority of commonly used neurocognitive tasks. Study 2 sought to analyze the engagement and appreciation of participants in the SENIC task compared to another traditional neurocognitive task. The results do not support greater engagement with SENIC based on the questionnaires used, but the outcomes of the focus groups confirm the necessity to develop tools with better ecological and apparent validity for athletes. In Study 3, the aim was to establish construct validity between SENIC, which measures cognitive functioning with a holistic task, compared to a task that evaluates it in a segmented way. The results suggest significant correlations between several indicators of both tasks, indicating some convergent validity. Finally, a cohort study is presented in Study 4 with the objective of documenting the sensitivity of SENIC in detecting concussions. The results suggest a deterioration in performance on SENIC's main measures (detection time, percentage of correct responses, and inverse efficiency score) for all participants who suffered a concussion and had a valid preseason test. These indicators, which take into account the speed-accuracy trade-off, appear to be sensitive to post-concussive symptoms and should be taken into account in the evaluation of athletes. The use of a post-experimental questionnaire supports the trend in athletes of not reporting concussions, raising important concerns about athlete awareness and safety. Overall, the results of this thesis support so far the use of SENIC to measure post-concussive cognitive functioning, but further studies will be necessary to confirm its psychometric properties and sensitivity to detect concussions. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance of improving the approach to post-concussion neurocognitive evaluation. The results notably emphasize the importance of an individualized approach devoid of practice effect. The results also highlight the importance of improving the ecological validity of tasks, taking into account theoretical cognitive models of reaction time, and using valid and sensitive cognitive indicators, such as reaction time while considering the speed-accuracy trade-off. Future studies should explore the potential of SENIC to detect concussions on a larger sample while incorporating an eye-tracking device to enhance both sensitivity and specificity in the evaluation process.

Die bestuursverantwoordelikhede van die skoolhoo ten opsigte van skoolsport is vanuit 'n juridies-opvoedkundige perspektief ondersoek. Sport is eerstens in 'n opvoed­ kundige perspektief geplaas en daar is onder andere gewys op die plek van sport binne die onderwysstelsel en die waarde van sport vir die kind as opvoedeling. Daarna is vanuit 'n bestuursperspektiebesin oar aangeleenthede wat verband hou met skoolsport, met besondere verwysing na die bestuurstake van die skoolhoof. Die navorsing behels oak 'n bespreking van relevante juridiese aspekte en die implikasies daarvan vir skoolbestuur. In die lig van die navorsing is riglyne neergelen aanbevelings gemaak wat grater doeltreffendheid vir die bestuur van skoolsport tot gevolg sal h . / The managerial responsibilities of the headmaster with regard to sport in schools have been examined from a juridical educational point-of-view. Firstly sport is viewed from an inter alia, its educational perspective in order to show, place and value to the child within the educational system. Secondly sport is considered from a managerial perspective in order to consider managerial responsibilities regarding school sports with special reference to the headmaster as manager of the shcool. Thirdly this research contains a discourse of relevant juridical aspects, and their implications regarding school management vis-a-vis the headmaster. In consequence, this research has led to guidelines and recommendations which should enable a headmaster to effect a more efficient system of management with regard to school sports. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Onderwysbestuur)

Properly written waiver of liability forms can be an effective tool in decreasing injury liability of intramural and recreational sports programs. In order for a waiver to be effective, (i.e., held up in court), participants must not only read and sign the waiver, but they must understand it as well. Readability, the ease of which text can be read and understood, is an important part of a well-written waiver. Waiver of liability forms should be written at a reading level consistent with that of the intended audience. On average, students read three grade levels below the last grade they completed in school. The highest grade level at which waiver of liability forms written for use in college settings should be the 9th grade. The main goal of this study was to assess the reading level of intramural and recreational sport waiver of liability forms, and compare them to the 9th grade level. Nine NIRSA member schools and nine non-NIRSA member schools from each of the six NIRSA regions were randomly selected for inclusion in this study. Following multiple mailings, the forms received were scanned into a computer, and readability was assessed using the Readability Calculation software (Micro Power & Light, Dallas, TX) for McIntosh. A one-sample t-test was performed to compare the forms to the 9th grade reading level. Forms were written significantly higher than the 9th grade level (t[26]=14.53, p<.0001). An analysis of variance was performed to assess possible moderating variables (e.g., NIRSA membership status and involvement of a risk management team in writing the waiver). No significant differences were found. Font size was also measured, and forms were found to have been written at a significantly higher level then the recommended 12 point font (t[28]=-2.88, p<.01). This study brings into questions the efficacy of waiver of liability forms used in many collegiate/university intramural and recreational sports programs in the U.S. / Graduation date: 2003