University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health: “The Impact of Restarting High School Sports on The Health of Adolescent Athletes.”

This study has been approved by the University of Wisconsin Institutional Review Board, is funded by a grant from the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) and has received letters of support from the NATA Secondary Schools Committee, Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (see attached).

The objective of this study is to document the effects that sport participation has on the health of adolescent athletes. We previously found that the cancelation of school sports in spring 2020 was associated with significant decreases in physical activity, mental health and quality of life (see our studies here, here and here).” We are surveying US high school athletes again this year to evaluate the positive impacts of participating in sports this spring. A letter explaining the study and a copy of the actual survey is attached.

To participate, student athletes (age 13 to18 yrs.) are asked to get permission from their parents then complete a short, anonymous, online survey. The survey asks a series of questions regarding their sport participation, level of physical activity, anxiety, depression and health related quality of life. Be aware that we are not asking for any personal identifiers (name, address, contact information etc.) from the students who complete the survey. In addition, the survey data is being collected so that we cannot identify the internet service provider or computer address for any respondent.

The direct link to the survey is: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a5EPmtGzgpoGokJ