Incidence of SARS-COV-2 infection among swimming athletes: data from real life in Apulia (Italy), July 2020/August 2021.

Background: As other indoor sports facilities, swimming pools were closed in Italy from March to May 2020 and from October 2020 to July 2021 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic; access to these facilities was restricted to athletes of national relevance. This decision was based on "precautionary principles" and without evidence of a high risk of SARS-COV-2 circulation among swimming pools' attendants. The aim of this paper is to describe the pattern of SARS-COV-2 circulation among swimming athletes in Apulia (Southern Italy). Study design: The study aims to investigate the hypothesis that attending a pool increases the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection. The outcome measure is the incidence of SARS-COV-2 infection among swimming athletes compared with the general population. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out in Apulia, Southern Italy. The study was performed through the analysis of both the database of the Italian Swimming Federation and the SARS-COV-2 infections in Apulia Region, from July 2020 to August 2021. Results: Among 2,939 federally licensed athletes, 221 had an history of SARS-COV-2 infection from July 2020 to August 2021, with an incidence of 75.2 /1,000. In the general Apulian population, during the same time span, the incidence of SARS-COV-2 infection was 67.3/1,000 and - considering the incidence rate ratio - there is no difference between the two populations (IRR=1.1; 95% CI=0.9-1.3; p>0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of SARS-COV-2 infection in Apulian swimmers showed no significant differences with the general population.

Prevalence of cigarette smoking: a cross-sectional survey between individual and team sport athletes.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the relationship between sport and smoking among adolescents and young adults reported contradictory results: some findings indicate that sport is a protective factor against smoking initiation, while other studies documented the inclination to unhealthy habits among athletes. The aim of this study was to evaluate smoking prevalence in a sample of young athletes practicing team (football, basket) or individual (swim) sports. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study carried out in a convenience sample of athletes. METHODS: The survey was performed by a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: The study included 327 athletes, 81.0% male, with an average age of 16 years; 36.7% play football, 31.8% basketball, and 31.5% swim. Smoking prevalence among participants was 16.8%. Basket and soccer players were 3 times more likely to be current smokers (20.1%), particularly those aged 16-18 years (35.9%), compared to swimmers (7.8%; in 16-18 year-old: 11.3%). Moreover, basket and soccer players were 7 times more likely to be smokers and to smoke before the practice session compared to swimmers. CONCLUSION: Smoking prevalence in all athletes was lower than that observed in youths. However, athletes of team sports were three times more likely to smoke than athletes of sprint and resistance sports. The reason is likely to be psychological: these sports, not focusing on the individual physical performance, allow athletes to feel less responsible for successes of their teams. It is essential to ensure a specific alliance for prevention between Health and Sport authorities, such as Federations and sporting societies, in order to develop interventions to inform athletes of team sports about the health and physical risks associated to smoking.

Risk of infectious mononucleosis among agonistic swimmers: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of infectious mononucleosis among athletes is quite debated. Some personal observations seem to suggest an increase risk of mononucleosis among athletes, because they attend always close settings with an high probability of respiratory pathogens transmission; overtraining has been also proposed as risk factor. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in a group of swimmers (aged 11-14 years) of the University Sport Centre of Bari. METHODS: 40 swimmers were interviewed by healthcare personnel at the end of training courses; demographic characteristics, personal habits, information about sport training and diagnosis of mononucleosis were analysed. RESULTS: The life-time incidence of mononucleosis was around 40%; multivariate analysis showed the association between mononucleosis and use of bottles of other persons (aOR=8.2; 95% CI=1.4-49.2; z=2.32; p=0.021) and average duration of training session was longer among subjects who reported mononucleosis than in subjects who did not indicate this disease. CONCLUSIONS: Future multi-centric studies are needed to better define the epidemiology of the mononucleosis in sport settings and to formulate appropriate recommendations to prevent the spreading of this disease.