Barriers and Facilitators Faced by Athletic Trainers Implementing National Athletic Trainers' Association Inter-Association Task Force Preseason Heat-Acclimatization Guidelines in US High School Football Players

Barriers and Facilitators Faced by Athletic Trainers Implementing National Athletic Trainers' Association Inter-Association Task Force Preseason Heat-Acclimatization Guidelines in US High School Football Players

Context The aim of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Inter-Association Task Force (NATA-IATF) preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines was to acclimatize high school athletes to the environment during the first 2 weeks of the preseason and reduce the risk of exertional heat illness....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of athletic training Vol. 56; no. 8; pp. 816 - 828
Main Authors: Kossman, Melissa Kay, McCrae, Andrew J., Pryor, Riana R., Frank, Simone C., Hayford, Ryan, Logan, Paige C., Moakley, Margaret G., Register-Mihalik, Johna K., Kerr, Zachary Y.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dallas National Athletic Trainers Association 01-08-2021
Subjects:
Athletic Coaches
Barriers
Compliance
Grounded theory
Guidelines
Heat and Hydration
High school football
High Schools
Injuries
Interpersonal Relationship
Interviews
Personal relationships
Phenomenology
Program Implementation
Qualitative research
Questionnaires
Research Methodology
School Districts
Secondary schools
Sports injuries
Sports training
Stakeholders
Task forces
Team Sports
Traditions
Training
United States > US
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Summary:Context The aim of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Inter-Association Task Force (NATA-IATF) preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines was to acclimatize high school athletes to the environment during the first 2 weeks of the preseason and reduce the risk of exertional heat illness. Objective To identify barriers and facilitators that high school athletic trainers (ATs) encountered when implementing the NATA-IATF guidelines. Design Qualitative study. Setting Individual phone interviews with all participants. Patients or Other Participants Thirty-three ATs (16 men, 17 women; age = 36.0 ± 12.0 years, athletic training experience = 12.9 ± 10.5 years) representing 19 states (4 with state mandates) were interviewed before data saturation was achieved. Participants were purposefully sampled from a larger investigation based on stratification of US Census region and preidentified high school compliance with the NATA-IATF guidelines. Main Outcome Measure(s) A cross-sectional, semistructured phone interview (6 steps) was conducted with each participant and then transcribed verbatim. A 7-person research team (5 coders, 2 auditors) coded the data into themes and categories, focusing on consensus of data placement to reduce bias and ensure accuracy. Results Facilitators and barriers that influenced successful guideline implementation were (1) perceived stakeholder access, (2) perceived stakeholder role, (3) capability and capacity, (4) school culture, (5) logistical support, (6) resources, (7) physical environment, and (8) consistency of the guidelines. Overall, participants discussed facilitators and barriers within each category based on their experiences and circumstances. Conclusions Athletic trainers faced numerous concerns regarding compliance with the NATA-IATF preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines. Multiple levels of influence should be targeted to improve implementation. These include intrapersonal factors by giving ATs the education and self-efficacy to support advocacy for implementation, interpersonal components by establishing strong collaborative networks for change, community and environmental factors by optimizing school culture and community resources for implementation, and policy aspects by establishing consistent guidelines across all bodies.
ISSN:1062-6050
1938-162X
DOI:10.4085/321-20