Facilitators and barriers related to developing a race-related injury prevention program

Abstract

Running is effective in increasing levels of physical activity, and also results in health benefits. However, the implementation of running as a means of promoting physical activity might also result in adverse effects such as running-related injuries (RRI). RRIs pose the highest risk in running. However, effective interventions in reducing the risk of RRIs are sparse in the literature, and there is no information on the facilitators and barriers in the development of such interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the facilitators and barriers related to the development of a RRI prevention program. The participants of the phase 1 of this research proposal (runners, trainers, coaches, running clubs, healthcare professionals, researchers, etc.) will be invited to participate in this study. The data collection will be performed using a semi-structured interview related to the facilitators and barriers during the development of the RRI prevention program (phase 1). The participants will be interviewed until saturation is reached (i.e., when no new information emerge during the interviews). The transcribed qualitative data will be organised in thematic units and categories. The results will be analysed and summarised descriptively. Evidence on facilitators and barriers is important to help future endeavours on the development of health promotion programs, optimising the development process and increasing the likelihood of effective programs in 'real life'. (AU)