INJURY RATES, SEVERITY OF INJURY, AND ACCESS TO SPECIALTY HEALTH CARE OF AMERICAN INDIAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES IN MONTANA

Introduction: Athletics are an integral part of American Indian (AI) life and culture. However, with participation there is a risk of receiving an injury. Sustaining an injury can be devastating to AI athletes that live on or near a reservation due to the rural location and disparities in health care. Objective: To determine Montana’s AI high school athletes’ injury rates, severity of injury, the current level of medical supervision, and type of health care they seek/receive. Methods: The procedure for collecting data consisted of sending out surveys to head coaches at 11 high schools that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis: Numerical data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Discussion: Injury rates were fairly low, with most injuries being minor. Medical supervision at practices/competitions was inadequate and the majority of injured athletes sought medical care from Indian Health Service. Access to specialty care was also found to be inadequate.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Montana

Year

2009

Author dc:creator

• Babcock, Drew Anthony

• American Indian
• Indian Health Service (IHS)
• specialty medical care
• sports related injury

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/580

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.umt.edu:etd-1599