870 MEP119 – No pain no gain: associations between health problems, motivation and coach relation in adolescent elite athletes

AbstractBackground The associations between motivation and health problems have not been investigated.Objective To study the effect of the burden of health problems, as well as coach and social relations on motivation. Design Mixed prospective/retrospective cohort study.Setting We followed a population of elite adolescent athletes from Norwegian Sport Academy High Schools for 203 weeks.Participants Athletes starting their first year in Sport Academy High Schools in 2014 were invited. We included 210 athletes, 135 boys and 75 girls, from endurance, technical and team sports.Assessment of Risk Factors We used the Oslo Sports Trauma Centre's Questionnaire for Health Problems to collect health data. During the first 26 weeks the athletes reported health data prospectively using a smartphone app. We interviewed the athletes at the end of their third year in Sport Academy High School, T1, and again one year later, T2. At the time of the interviews, the athletes completed a web-based questionnaire, including the Sport Motivation Scale and covering coach relations, social relations and goal achievement.Main Outcome Measurements Sport Motivation Scale, measuring levels of internal and external motivation and amotivation.Results A greater burden of health problems had no clinically significant associations with motivation. A supportive coach was associated with higher levels of internal motivation at T1 (B: 0.55, 0.34 to 0.77, p<0.001) and T2 (B: 0.42, 0.16 to 0.69, p=0.002), and with lower levels of amotivation at T1 (B: -0.43, -0.68 to -0.17, p=0.001) and T2 (B: -0.46, -0.79 to -0.15, p=0.003). Higher levels of goal achievement and good social relations in sport were also associated with higher levels of internal motivation and lower levels of amotivation at T1 and T2.Conclusions A greater burden of health problems did not affect motivation, but a supportive coach, goal achievement and good social relations were favorable factors.