@article{ref1,
title="The effectiveness of the nationwide BokSmart rugby injury prevention program on catastrophic injury rates",
journal="Scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports",
year="2015",
author="Brown, J. C. and Verhagen, E. and Knol, D. and van Mechelen, W. and Lambert, Michael Ian",
volume="26",
number="2",
pages="221-225",
abstract="Rugby Union (&quot;rugby&quot;) participants have a higher than average risk of injury compared with participants of other popular team sports. BokSmart, a nationwide injury prevention program was launched in South Africa in mid-2009, with the goal of reducing catastrophic head/neck (serious) injuries in players. The program provides injury prevention information to coaches and referees. This study investigated if BokSmart has been associated with a reduction in these injuries. The BokSmart program collected data on all South African rugby-related serious injuries since 2008. Using a Poisson regression, injury numbers were compared pre-BokSmart (2008-2009) to the years post-implementation (2010-2013). Player numbers were assumed to be constant throughout this evaluation: junior = 529 483; senior = 121 663. In junior players, the &quot;post-BokSmart&quot; period had 2.5 less annual serious injuries than &quot;pre-BokSmart&quot; (incidence rate ratio: 0.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.5-0.7, P < 0.000). In contrast, there was no significant difference in these periods in seniors. The absence of effect in seniors may be a result of fewer players or of differences in effectiveness of BokSmart in this group - future studies should investigate these questions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0905-7188",
doi="10.1111/sms.12414",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sms.12414"
}