Open AccessIncreasing mouthguards usage among junior rugby and basketball players
Author(s) -
Jalleh Geoffrey,
Donovan Robert J.,
Clarkson Johanna,
March Kyle,
Foster Mark,
GilesCorti Billie
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-842x.2001.tb00571.x
Subject(s) - basketball , medicine , physical therapy , psychology , history , archaeology
Objective: To evaluate a Western Australian mouthguard promotion campaign, launched at the start of the 1997/98 junior rugby union and junior basketball seasons, aimed at increasing mouthguard usage at competition and training.Method: A quasi‐experimental field design was used to assess the impact of the mouthguard campaign on behavioural change. Observational data were collected pre‐and post‐campaign on mouthguard usage by players present at a rugby and basketball competition event and at a training session. Junior Australian Rules Football players were used as a control group.Results: Pre‐post observational surveys showed a significantly greater increase in mouthguard usage in competition games among rugby union (77% to 84%) and basketball players (23% to 43%) compared with the control group (72% to 73%). All codes showed a post‐campaign increase in mouthguard usage at training, but the intervention codes' increases were greater than the control's increase (rugby union: 29% to 40%; basketball: 11% to 36%; football: 34% to 40%). Conclusions : The campaign had a significant and substantial effect on behaviour and provides evidence of the benefits of leveraging a sponsorship to modify the behaviour of the target group.Implications: This campaign provides a model for promoting mouthguard usage in other sports among junior players.