| Aims: 1) To develop an intervention strategy to be implemented in physical education (PE) classes in secondary schools, aimed at preventing acute lower extremity injuries in school children 12-15 years of age. 2) To determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this intervention strategy. 3) To determine whether the effect of the intervention strategy is different for different types of sports activities (PE, organized and non-organized sports), different types of sports, and gender. - METHODS. The intervention will be developed according to the Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol. IM enables health educators to create feasible and effective health promotion programmes, and can, with some minor alterations, also be used for the development of an injury prevention programme. IM involves a systematic process that explicates a series of five steps for the development of health promotion programmes based on theory, empirical evidence and additional qualitative research. The effect of the intervention programme will be evaluated during one school year (nine months) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The study will be carried out in secondary schools (VMBO, HAVO, VWO), reaching boys and girls aged 12-15 years (1st, 2nd and 3rd grade). In these grades PE classes are mandatory, and compliance is expected to be high. The schools will be selected with the aim of creating a representative sample of Dutch pupils aged 12-15 years, and will serve as randomization units to avoid spill-over of the intervention within schools and to enhance control over adherence and compliance with the intervention. Regular contact with the management and educational personnel of the intervention schools as well the control schools will facilitate continued participation in order to minimize drop-out. |
