Secondary School State Athletic Association Health and Safety Policy Development Processes.
J Sch Health
; 94(7): 591-600, 2024 Jul.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38621415
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The National Federation of State High School Associations provides recommendations regarding health and safety policies; however, policy development is governed at the state level. Given interstate differences in governance, the primary purpose was to describe processes that State High School Athletic Associations (SHSAAs) utilize to develop a new policy. The secondary objective was to determine what methods associations use to implement new policies.METHODS:
A cross-sectional survey requested SHSAA (n = 51) representatives to report how athlete health and safety policies are introduced, revised, approved, and implemented within their state. The 22-question survey was developed to gather variables for the aims of the study. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each survey item.RESULTS:
Of states who responded (n = 33), most reported a 2-committee (n = 24, 72.7%) process for developing and vetting policies, with initiation from the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (n = 27, 81.8%), followed by an executive-level committee (n = 18, 66.7%). States reported total time from policy initiation to final approval ranged from 2 weeks to over 12 months. When a new policy was approved, most states indicated implementation began with an e-mail (n = 24, 72.7%) sent to Athletic Directors (n = 26, 78.8%). School principal or district superintendent were reported as the position in charge of compliance (36.4%, n = 12).CONCLUSIONS:
Most SHSAAs use a 2-step process to write and review an athlete health and safety policy before approval. SHSAAs that require a longer policy development time could delay the implementation of important health measures. SHSAAs could consider additional communication methods to ensure information reaches all stakeholders.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Policy Making
/
Schools
/
Sports
/
Health Policy
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Sch Health
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication:
United States