Incidence of respiratory infections and SARS-CoV-2 is higher during contact phases in student rugby players – Lessons learnt from COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies–AWARE V
{"title":"Incidence of respiratory infections and SARS-CoV-2 is higher during contact phases in student rugby players – Lessons learnt from COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies–AWARE V","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.smhs.2024.03.005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARinf), including SARS-CoV-2, in unvaccinated student rugby players during phases from complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic to returning to competition is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of ARinf (including SARS-CoV-2) during non-contact and contact phases during the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate risk mitigation strategies. In this retrospective cohort study, 319 top tier rugby players from 17 universities completed an online questionnaire. ARinf was reported during 4 phases over 14 months (April 2020–May 2021): phase 1 (individual training), phase 2 (non-contact team training), phase 3 (contact team training) and phase 4 (competition). Incidence (per 1 000 player days) and Incidence Ratio (IR) for ‘All ARinf’, and subgroups (SARS-CoV-2; ‘Other ARinf’) are reported. Selected factors associated with ARinf were also explored. The incidence of ‘All ARinf’ (0.31) was significantly higher for SARS-CoV-2 (0.23) vs. ‘Other ARinf’ (0.08) (<em>p</em> < 0.01). The incidence of ‘All ARinf’ (IR = 3.6; <em>p</em> < 0.01) and SARS-CoV-2 (IR = 4.2; <em>p</em> < 0.01) infection was significantly higher during contact (phases 3 + 4) compared with non-contact (phases 1 + 2). Demographics, level of sport, co-morbidities, allergies, influenza vaccination, injuries and lifestyle habits were not associated with ARinf incidence. In student rugby, contact phases are associated with a 3–4 times higher incidence of ARinf/SARS-CoV-2 compared to non-contact phases. Infection risk mitigation strategies in the contact sport setting are important. Data from this study serve as a platform to which future research on incidence of ARinf in athletes within contact team sports, can be compared.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":33620,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine and Health Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337624000337/pdfft?md5=774c9986f3bf749352a2d8ac689724dc&pid=1-s2.0-S2666337624000337-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sports Medicine and Health Science","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337624000337","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"SPORT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARinf), including SARS-CoV-2, in unvaccinated student rugby players during phases from complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic to returning to competition is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of ARinf (including SARS-CoV-2) during non-contact and contact phases during the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate risk mitigation strategies. In this retrospective cohort study, 319 top tier rugby players from 17 universities completed an online questionnaire. ARinf was reported during 4 phases over 14 months (April 2020–May 2021): phase 1 (individual training), phase 2 (non-contact team training), phase 3 (contact team training) and phase 4 (competition). Incidence (per 1 000 player days) and Incidence Ratio (IR) for ‘All ARinf’, and subgroups (SARS-CoV-2; ‘Other ARinf’) are reported. Selected factors associated with ARinf were also explored. The incidence of ‘All ARinf’ (0.31) was significantly higher for SARS-CoV-2 (0.23) vs. ‘Other ARinf’ (0.08) (p < 0.01). The incidence of ‘All ARinf’ (IR = 3.6; p < 0.01) and SARS-CoV-2 (IR = 4.2; p < 0.01) infection was significantly higher during contact (phases 3 + 4) compared with non-contact (phases 1 + 2). Demographics, level of sport, co-morbidities, allergies, influenza vaccination, injuries and lifestyle habits were not associated with ARinf incidence. In student rugby, contact phases are associated with a 3–4 times higher incidence of ARinf/SARS-CoV-2 compared to non-contact phases. Infection risk mitigation strategies in the contact sport setting are important. Data from this study serve as a platform to which future research on incidence of ARinf in athletes within contact team sports, can be compared.