735 FO40 – Health is a priority in high-performance pathway systems: system-wide stakeholder insights into athlete attrition

Background Athlete attrition is poorly understood in high-performance pathway systems. Literature primarily focuses on understanding athlete attrition factors from intrapersonal (intrinsic) or interpersonal (extrinsic relationships) perspectives, and less on environmental, system or broader societal factors. Objective A complex systems approach was used to: 1) gain a system-wide perspective on factors influencing athlete attrition from a high-performance sport system (HPSS), and 2) identify what a sample of system-wide stakeholders and past athletes consider as the most important and feasible athlete attrition factors to address to retain talent. Design Mixed methods approach. Setting Australian high-performance sport system. Patients (or Participants) Past athletes from an Australian state sporting institute; their families; and internal and external HPSS stakeholders who supported past athletes. Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) Nil. Main Outcome Measurements Concept mapping cluster map. Results Sixty-one participants brainstormed 83 unique statements (i.e. attrition factors) that they sorted into groups. These statements mapped into 13 clusters of attrition factors following multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis performed on the participants sorting data: 'abuse and mismanagement of health'; 'athlete health'; 'limited support/resourcing'; 'coaching'; 'inconsistent processes'; 'financial and career support'; 'pathway structure'; 'organisational dynamics'; 'competitive stress'; 'performance potential'; 'challenges with selection and transition'; 'psychological state'; and 'competing non-sport priorities'. The 'Abuse and mismanagement of health' cluster had the highest mean importance (3.76 out of 5) and feasibility (3.31) rating. The 13 clusters were further grouped into four overarching domains: 'sport system policy, structure and processes'; 'pathway structure, transition and support'; 'individual athlete health and capability'; and 'whole-of-life demands and 'priorities'. The 'sport system policy, structure and processes' domain contained the most important and feasible clusters. Conclusions Athlete health as a social and individual construct, was considered the most important attrition factor to address. This study identified new indirect system-influenced attrition factors not previously documented.