A sports-related injury prevention program for Dutch youth volleyball players

Jan 18

A sports-related injury prevention program for Dutch youth volleyball players

Objective

This process evaluation aimed to gain insight into the implementation of the VolleyVeilig Youth program by Dutch volleyball clubs within the context of an effectiveness trial.

Methods

We applied the UK Medical Research Council framework for process evaluations and assessed the context, implementation and mechanisms of impact. Trainers participating in the effectiveness trial were asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the study. A subsample of the trainers based on the self-reported adherence score was invited to participate in an interview accordingly. We used a thematic analysis to present the data.

Results

Thirty-one trainers (100%) completed the questionnaire, and seven agreed to participate in an interview. Although adherence gradually decreased over the volleyball season, most trainers reported partially adhere with the program until the end of the study. The main themes included factors associated with the (1) VolleyVeilig Youth program, (2) trainer, (3) players, and (4) volleyball club.

Conclusion

Although (partial) adherence to the VolleyVeilig Youth program was high in this study, implementation strategies must be developed to target the barriers reported by the trainers before the program can be successfully implemented nationwide in the Netherlands.

Keywords

process evaluation; sports injury prevention; volleyball; youth.

References

Joske Nauta 1 2, Cindy de Klerk 1 2, Femke van Nassau 1 2, Ellen Kemler 3, Victor Zuidema 3, Jacqueline de Wit 4, Evert Verhagen 1 2, Ingrid Vriend 1 2

About The Author

Femke van Nassau is a senior researcher at the Amsterdam UMC, VUmc, specializing in human movement science. Her work at the Department of Public and Occupational Health and the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute focuses on developing, implementing, and scaling up lifestyle interventions to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. With a PhD in scaling up school-based obesity prevention programs, she continues to lead innovative health promotion projects across various settings.