Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework
Background: Preparticipation examinations (PPEs) are unstandardized screening tools routinely used to collect an athlete's baseline health information prior to the start of a new competitive season. However, many PPEs include minimal and often nonspecific questions related to the health concern...
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Sport and Health Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624001376 |
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| author | Jenna M. Schulz Lois Pohlod Samantha Myers Jason Chung Jane S. Thornton |
| author_facet | Jenna M. Schulz Lois Pohlod Samantha Myers Jason Chung Jane S. Thornton |
| author_sort | Jenna M. Schulz |
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| description | Background: Preparticipation examinations (PPEs) are unstandardized screening tools routinely used to collect an athlete's baseline health information prior to the start of a new competitive season. However, many PPEs include minimal and often nonspecific questions related to the health concerns of female athletes. A lack of female athlete specific health questions could result in missed red flags and subsequent injury or illness. As such, the objectives of this scoping review were to (a) determine what female athlete specific health questions currently exist in PPEs in the scientific literature to prevent injury and illness, and (b) map the results against the health domains outlined in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement supplement on the female athlete. Methods: We searched Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Medline Ovid, and SPORTDiscus from inception to December 2022. Any study with female athlete specific health PPE questions or recommendations for questions (i.e., menstrual health, eating habits, musculoskeletal health, etc.) was included. Three reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, followed by full text articles for eligibility and data extraction, with conflicts resolved by a third-party reviewer. Extracted data were summarized into 3 determined groupings. Results: Of the 1356 studies screened, 41 were included in this study. Forty studies (98%) included questions/recommendations related to menstrual health. Thirty-one studies (76%) had questions/recommendations concerning disordered eating/eating habits. Twenty-four studies (59%) referred to body weight/image, and 16 studies (39%) referred to musculoskeletal health. No studies included questions on all IOC female athlete health domains. Conclusion: There is currently a gap in female athlete specific health content included in PPEs. A more comprehensive, standardized PPE with a focus on inclusion of female athlete specific health questions and considerations should be developed to improve health and optimal participation of female athletes around the world. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-073a119b836b465f9738d608af85c3bc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2095-2546 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Sport and Health Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-073a119b836b465f9738d608af85c3bc2025-01-16T04:28:32ZengElsevierJournal of Sport and Health Science2095-25462025-12-0114100981Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed frameworkJenna M. Schulz0Lois Pohlod1Samantha Myers2Jason Chung3Jane S. Thornton4Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2M1, Canada; Fowler-Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Bone & Joint Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Corresponding author.Clinical Masters in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, CanadaFowler-Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Clinical Masters in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, CanadaClinical Masters in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2M1, Canada; Fowler-Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Bone & Joint Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2M1, Canada; School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, CanadaBackground: Preparticipation examinations (PPEs) are unstandardized screening tools routinely used to collect an athlete's baseline health information prior to the start of a new competitive season. However, many PPEs include minimal and often nonspecific questions related to the health concerns of female athletes. A lack of female athlete specific health questions could result in missed red flags and subsequent injury or illness. As such, the objectives of this scoping review were to (a) determine what female athlete specific health questions currently exist in PPEs in the scientific literature to prevent injury and illness, and (b) map the results against the health domains outlined in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement supplement on the female athlete. Methods: We searched Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Medline Ovid, and SPORTDiscus from inception to December 2022. Any study with female athlete specific health PPE questions or recommendations for questions (i.e., menstrual health, eating habits, musculoskeletal health, etc.) was included. Three reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, followed by full text articles for eligibility and data extraction, with conflicts resolved by a third-party reviewer. Extracted data were summarized into 3 determined groupings. Results: Of the 1356 studies screened, 41 were included in this study. Forty studies (98%) included questions/recommendations related to menstrual health. Thirty-one studies (76%) had questions/recommendations concerning disordered eating/eating habits. Twenty-four studies (59%) referred to body weight/image, and 16 studies (39%) referred to musculoskeletal health. No studies included questions on all IOC female athlete health domains. Conclusion: There is currently a gap in female athlete specific health content included in PPEs. A more comprehensive, standardized PPE with a focus on inclusion of female athlete specific health questions and considerations should be developed to improve health and optimal participation of female athletes around the world.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624001376FemaleAthletePreparticipationSport medicineScreening |
| spellingShingle | Jenna M. Schulz Lois Pohlod Samantha Myers Jason Chung Jane S. Thornton Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework Journal of Sport and Health Science Female Athlete Preparticipation Sport medicine Screening |
| title | Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework |
| title_full | Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework |
| title_fullStr | Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework |
| title_short | Are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations? A scoping review and proposed framework |
| title_sort | are female athlete specific health considerations being assessed and addressed in preparticipation examinations a scoping review and proposed framework |
| topic | Female Athlete Preparticipation Sport medicine Screening |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624001376 |
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