Interprofessional Healthcare Teams: Promoting Health-Related Quality of Life Through Sport

The role of sport in community and global health is complex and multifaceted [1-3]. Some are drawn to sport for the potential positive physical, psychological, and socio-cultural outcomes, such as lower risk of disease and improved mood [4-6]. Although sport participation provides opportunities to experience positive health effects [7], negative incidents (e.g., injury, violence, or abuse) can also occur which may be deeply distressing and long lasting [2,8,9]. Trauma or phobia (e.g., kinesiophobia, fear of reinjury or movement) could result from a single incident, ongoing events that happen over time, or varied and multiple events [8,10]. Consequently, sport is a double-edged sword, potentially resulting in good and bad outcomes [11].

Whether the negative inciting incident results as part of sport or not, sport professionals need knowledge and access to specific healthcare resources and solutions for promoting and sustaining sport participants’ health-related quality of life [8,12,13]. For this reason, sport professionals may need regular healthcare informed educational training to help sport participants manage adverse experiences that have the potential to influence physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral development and future responses [2,8,14]. Protective factors (e.g., social connections and support, family and friend functioning, and resilience), especially those established during childhood and learned through extracurricular competitive activities such as sport and exercise, have been shown to positively influence physical and mental development and lead to future prosocial behaviors [15-17]. Protective responses (e.g., resiliency and positive self-esteem) often stem from those who we value and regularly interact with socially (e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, and healthcare professionals). Therefore, an interprofessional healthcare team of specialists from various fields (iTeam) could help sport participants (athletes, coaches, spectators, etc.) develop behaviors that prevent or lessen the impact of negative incidents (e.g., injury, abuse, antisocial behaviors, and violence) [2,13,18,19].

Recognition and care are not simply issues for sport participants and lead professionals, but the community and society at large [12,20]. Building a coalition between sport organizations, local and regional healthcare agencies, and community members is necessary to promote awareness and a subculture of prioritizing health-related quality of life [1,2,8,12]. For example, the NCAA, with the support of other national organizations, issued mental health recommendations for college student-athletes [21]. Likewise, the NFL Total Wellness initiative strives to “build systems, create programs, provide resources, and encourage culture change to enhance the overall well-being of the NFL community in the areas of physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial health” [22]. Accordingly, it would make sense to build systems that create appropriate programs, resources, policies, and interventions at an earlier stage of life, such as during adolescence, a critical stage of development [12,23]. For instance, community youth sport systems that involve proactive communication among schools, school districts, youth sport organizations, and healthcare professionals would likely prove beneficial in establishing and reinforcing protective factors [10,24]. Thus, an iTeam (or multidisciplinary) approach at the public policy level could facilitate collaboration among these groups and community members for sport participants’ health and wellbeing throughout life.

Establishing an interprofessional healthcare team at various competition levels could help address the various physical, psychological, and socio-cultural factors associated with the double-edged phenomena in sport [2, 13]. The iTeam members (e.g., strength and conditioning coaches, sport medicine physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists and dietitians, mental health specialists, and mental performance consultants) would need to trust one another enough to integrate their personal and professional competencies [2,13]. An iTeam would be beneficial to sport participants throughout their various stages of development and sport involvement [2,13,20]. It would require the professionals to gain knowledge, training, and experience of one another’s expertise and specializations. This understanding and practical expertise is essential for effective and efficient communication among them and with sport participants. Furthermore, those involved would attain a holistic view of the physical, psychological, and socio-cultural factors that put sport participants at risk for experiencing stress, injury, or trauma [12,13,25]. Sport participants would become aware of iTeam members’ various roles and responsibilities and may have a greater openness to various healthcare resources, training methods, and interventions. This awareness and openness may help reduce stigma about asking healthcare questions and seeking assistance [25,26]. Thus, an iTeam approach may influence individuals and groups at various levels (team, league, school, governing body, sport culture, and global community) to further prioritize sport participants health-related quality of life. As part of their Let’s Move campaign [27], the International Olympic Committee and World Health Organization could recommend and support the establishment of interprofessional healthcare teams for promoting health- related quality of life through sport.

None.

No conflict of interest.

1. Brown GT, Hainline B, Kroshus E, Wilfert M (2014) Mind, body and sport: Understanding and supporting student-athlete mental wellness. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
2. Martin SB, Zakrajsek RA, Casey T, Bianco AG (2020) Mental techniques for performance. (Independent Course, ISC 30.3.4). In C Hughes (Ed), Special topics: Enhancing performance using a mind, body, metric approach. Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association pp: 125-168
3. Martín-Rodríguez A, Gostian-Ropotin LA, Beltrán-Velasco AI, Belando-Pedreño N, Simón JA, et al. (2024) Sporting mind: The interplay of physical activity and psychological health Sports 12(1): 37.
4. Eime RM, Young JA, Harvey JT, Charity MJ, Payne WR (2013) A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 10: 98.
5. Massey WV, Whitley AA (2018) The role of sport for youth amidst trauma and chaos. In MA Whitley, WV Massey, SC Darnell, B Smith (Eds). Sport in Underdeveloped and Conflict Regions (1st ed). Routledge.
6. Robinson L, Segal J, Smith M (2024) The mental health benefits of exercise.
7. Kavussanu M, Al-Yaaribi A (2021) Prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sport. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 19(2): 179-202.
8. Leibovitz A, Martin SB (2022) Cycling coaches’ trauma–specific education, familiarity with post-traumatic stress, and coaching efficacy. International Journal of Sport Science & Coaching 17(4): 701-712.
9. Malm C, Jakobsson J, Isaksson A (2019) Physical Activity and Sports-Real Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden. Sports (Basel, Switzerland) 7(5): 127.
10. Hayden KN, Leibovitz AP, Abrams M, Martin SB (2023) Adverse childhood experiences, protective factors, and social behaviors of young adults in sport and life. Symposium presented at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology 38th Annual Conference. Orlando, FL.
11. Ferguson K (2020) Sports: A double-edged sword. Competition has a darker side that’s seldom discussed RealHealth.
12. Chu TL, Harmison RJ, Martin SB (2023) Quality of life and recovery. In M Kellmann, J Beckmann (Eds). Vol. 2, Recovery and well-being in sport and exercise: Advance in recovery and stress research. Oxfordshire, UK: Taylor & Francis/Routledge. ISBN 9781032158686.
13. Zakrajsek RA, Bianco A, Casey T, Hayden K, Martin SB (2023) Mental techniques for injury prevention and rehabilitation. In I Nixdorf, R Nixdorf, J Beckmann, SB Martin, T MacIntyre (Eds), Routledge handbook of mental health in elite sport. Oxfordshire, UK: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.
14. Brown DW, Anda R, Tiemeier H, Felitti VJ, Edwards VJ, et al. (2009) Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of premature mortality. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 37(5): 389-396.
15. Durbin KP (2021) The relationship between adolescent extracurricular activities and college persistence: The role of self-efficacy. (Publication No. 28962585). (Doctoral dissertation, California Southern University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
16. Fergusson DM, Horwood L J (2003) Resilience to childhood adversity: Results of a 21-year study. Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp: 130–155.
17. Tkacz J, Young-Hyman D, Boyle CA, Davis CL (2008) Aerobic exercise program reduces anger expression among overweight children. Pediatric Exercise Science 20(4): 390-401.
18. Arvinen-Barrow M, Clement D (2024) Interprofessional practice models in sport injury and rehabilitation. In M. Arvinen-Barrow, D Clement (Eds), The psychology of sport injury and rehabilitation. Routledge pp: 93-108)
19. Samuelson M, Tedeschi P, Aarendonk D, De La Cuesta C, Groenewegen P (2012) Improving interprofessional collaboration in primary care: Position paper of the European Forum for Primary Care. Quality in Primary Care 20(4): 303-312.
20. Bader CM, Martin SB (2019) Sport psychology considerations in intercollegiate athletics in the United States. In EO Acevedo (Ed), The Oxford encyclopedia of sport, exercise, and performance psychology, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
21. National Collegiate Athletic Association (2013) NATA, NCAA and others announce mental health recommendations.
22. National Football League (nd) NFL total wellness.
23. Brown KA, Patel DR, Darmawan D (2017) Participation in sports in relation to adolescent growth and development. Translational Pediatrics 6(3): 150-159.
24. Iadevaia C, Roiger T, Zwart MB (2015) Qualitative examination of adolescent health-related quality of life at 1 year post concussion. Journal of Athletic Training 50(11): 1182-1189.
25. Martin SB, Zakrajsek RA, Wrisberg CA (2012) Attitudes toward sport psychology and seeking assistance: Key factors and a proposed model. In CD Logan, MI Hodges (Eds), Psychology of attitudes. Nova Science pp: 1-33.
26. Zakrajsek RA, Martin SB, Thomson SR, Guilliver A (2023) Stigmatization of mental illness and seeking sport psychology services. In I Nixdorf, R Nixdorf, J Beckmann, SB Martin, T MacIntyre (Eds), Routledge handbook of mental health in elite sport. Oxfordshire, UK: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.
27. World Health Organization (2023) IOC and WHO launch Let’s Move campaign on Olympic Day to inspire and enable the world to move for better health.