Funding outcome

Physical activity has important health benefits for school-aged children and adolescents. However, participation in sport and recreation activities is also the leading reason why youth are injured. In Canada, an alarming 33% of youth between the ages of 11 and 18 seek medical attention for sport-related injuries every year (~1,044,643 in 2016). In Alberta, 40% of youth sport-related injuries involve the knee. Youth who suffer a sport-related knee injury are at increased risk of being inactive and obese compared to youth who do not have an injury. This is worrisome because physical inactivity in youth is already a concern, and youth who are physically inactive and obese are at increased risk for multiple diseases. One factor that may interfere with youth returning to physical activity after a sport-related knee injury is a fear of movement due to concerns about feeling pain or having another injury. Previous research has shown that adults with a greater fear of movement after an injury are less physically active. Currently, little is known about the influence of fear of movement on physical activity in the first year following a youth sport-related knee injury. In this study, we will compare the physical activity levels (including sedentary time) and fear of movement of 40 youth who have suffered a sport-related knee injury over the first year following injury in comparison to 40 uninjured youth. This information will give us a better understanding of how fear of movement influences physical activity and sedentary time after a youth sport-related knee injury. The knowledge gained from this study will help us develop methods to identify youth at greatest risk of inactivity following a sport-related knee injury, inform prevention methods, and ultimately reduce negative consequences of youth sport-related knee injuries, which is vital for the health of Canadians