761 MEP116 – The first step to prevent permanent cessation of sports after injury

AbstractBackground Sports injuries can lead to impaired physical function and decreased sports participation, especially sports injuries that leads to permanent cessation of a sport. Objective The aim was to gain insight into sports injuries that lead to the permanent cessation of a sport after the injury (sports drop outs), characteristics of the athletes involved, and impact on physical activity, to guide and inform prevention of these injuries and their consequences.Design An explorative online epidemiological study.Setting An online questionnaire was used. Participants A Dutch research panel was screened for sports drop outs within the past 5 years. A total of 3,941 sports dropouts were invited (April 2023); 45% (N=1,781) participated in the study.Results Sports dropouts were on average 49 years old and 55% were women. Injury sports included running (32%), fitness (14%), tennis (6%) and soccer (6%). A quarter (26%) had a knee injury. Athletes were injured nine months on average. Of the sports dropouts, 39% started a new sport after rehabilitation, 20% did several sports at the time of the injury and picked up these other sports again after rehabilitation. 30% stopped exercising altogether. Men had lower risk of permanent cessation than women (OR 0.785;95%CI:0.636–0.968) and high-educated people had lower risk than low-educated (OR 0.488;95%CI:0.347–0.687). Injured people who were not referred to another sport by a healthcare professional had a higher risk of permanent cessation (OR 2.930;95%CI:1.999–4.294). By permanent cessation of sports, the risk of not meeting the exercise guidelines increased strong (OR 4.949;95%CI:3.918–6.252).Discussion and Conclusion Sports dropouts after an injury do not mean that people will be inactive for the rest of their lives. About 1 in 3 stopped exercising altogether, which has major consequences for exercise in general. A referral from a healthcare professional to other sports can keep people active.