An online workshop to raise awareness of pelvic floor in track and field female athletes: a quasi-experimental study.

Abstract

Introduction: Track and field is a high-impact sport that may facilitate pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) of females. Although increasing the information may reduce deleterious habits, the traditional workshops to date did not motivate and engage the female athletes. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an online educational workshop about pelvic floor awareness on knowledge and habits of track and field female athletes.

Methods: A total of 49 track and field athletes participated in this quasi-experimental study: 38 attended an educational workshop and 11 did not. The workshop included innovative resources, such as 3D anatomic models, practical proprioceptive exercises guided by physiotherapists, and an anonymous questions and answers section. Before and 1 month later, all the athletes fulfilled an anonymous questionnaire to assess their knowledge about urinary incontinence (UI), ano-rectal incontinence (ARI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and female sexual dysfunction (FSD), as well as toileting and sports habits.

Results: After attending the workshop, athletes obtained higher scores in knowledge about ARI (p = 0.019), POP (p < 0.001), and FSD (p = 0.018) compared to baseline and athletes who did not attend it. No improvements were observed in habits and knowledge about UI (p > 0.05). The athletes who reached 70% of correct responses about POP had greater number of healthy habits than the rest of the athletes.

Conclusions: An innovative educational workshop about pelvic floor increases knowledge of track and field female athletes but is insufficient to modify their habits. Sports and health professionals should design educational strategies to manage the most unknown topics about pelvic floor care, considering that the proposed methodology and innovative resources are effective to increase knowledge.