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Examining the effect of the injury definition on risk factor analysis in circus artists
Author(s) -
Hamilton G. M.,
Meeuwisse W. H.,
Emery C. A.,
Shrier I.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01245.x
Subject(s) - medicine , risk factor , injury prevention , incidence (geometry) , poison control , univariate analysis , protective factor , confidence interval , demography , prospective cohort study , rate ratio , occupational safety and health , cohort study , multivariate analysis , physical therapy , surgery , emergency medicine , pathology , physics , sociology , optics
A secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study was conducted to explore how different definitions of injury affect the results of risk factor analyses. Modern circus artists ( n =1281) were followed for 828 547 performances over a period of 49 months (2004–2008). A univariate risk factor analysis (age, sex, nationality, artist role) estimating incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) was conducted using three injury definitions: (1) medical attention injuries, (2) time‐loss injuries resulting in ≥1 missed performances (TL‐1) and (3) time‐loss injuries resulting in >15 missed performances (TL‐15). Results of the risk factor analysis were dependent on the injury definition. Sex (females to male; IRR=1.13, 95% CI; 1.02–1.25) and age over 30 (<20 years to >30 years; IRR=1.37, 95% CI; 1.07–1.79) were risk factors for medical attention injuries only. Risk of injury for Europeans compared with North Americans was higher for TL‐1 and TL‐15 injuries compared with medical attention injuries. Finally, non‐sudden load artists (low‐impact acts) were less likely than sudden load artists (high‐impact acts) to have TL‐1 injuries, but the risk of medical attention injuries was similar. The choice of injury definition can have effects on the magnitude and direction of risk factor analyses.