528 MEP080 – Injury-prevention: exploring factors affecting adherence to different exercise programmes in men’s community rugby union

AbstractBackground Performing injury-prevention exercise programmes (IPEP) can reduce sport injury risk, but their effect is influenced by programme adherence. Barriers and facilitators to injury-prevention programmes in a range of sports are recognised, but whether the same factors influence implementation in rugby union is unknown.Objective To determine facilitators and barriers to implementation of a new injury-prevention exercise programme in men's community rugby union.Design Qualitative study comprising mid-season semi-structured interviews, alongside a randomised controlled trial.Setting Community rugby clubs in English leagues 4–7 (semi-profesional to recreational level).Participants Sixteen clubs were randomised (single-blind: IPEP=8/"active"control=8), from which fourteen staff (IPEP-staff=10:"active"control staff=4) who delivered the exercise programmes ('delivery-agents': head coach=8; player coach=3; assistant coach=2; player delivering warm-up=1) were interviewed.Interventions A rugby-specific injury-prevention exercise programme.Main outcome measurements Subjectively reported facilitators and barriers to exercise programme implementation. Results Delivery-agent training, programme tools/materials availability, self-efficacy of delivery-agents, player welfare and good peer understanding were the most common facilitators in both intervention and control clubs. Perceived benefits, team organisation and programme duration were the least commonly mentioned facilitators. The most common barriers were ground-based exercises, bad weather (rain/cold) and perception of programme duration, across intervention and control clubs. The nature of some intervention exercises, where players focussed on limb-alignment rather than gameplay, were perceived as protracting warm-up duration and were barriers. The inclusion of stationary exercises were commonly identified as a barrier to the intervention programme only.Conclusions Factors influencing IPEP implementation within men's community rugby are consistent with those in other sports. Ground-based, slow-paced exercises to be performed in poor weather conditions should be minimised, as they reduce programme adherence. Programme tools (laminated cards) should be made available to facilitate programme use, while programmes need to replicate gameplay conditions so players feel sufficiently prepared for what is an intense contact sport.