Avoiding the Sports (Med) Specialist: The Association Between Sport Specialisation and Injury Among Young People in New Zealand

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate (i) the prevalence of sport specialisation among New Zealand youth and differences based on age, gender and sport, and (ii) the association between specialisation level and injury history. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Sport NZ's Voice-of-the-Participant online survey. Participants: 15,334 youth aged 8-17 years, across eight major sports. Main outcome measures: Demographic data (age, gender, ethnicity), sport participation hours, specialisation level (low, moderate, high), and injury history over the past 12 months. Results: Overall, 12% of youth were highly specialised, with sport-specific variation (range 3–20%). High specialisation increased with age and was more common in males than females. Relative to low specialisation, the odds of reporting an injury were higher for moderate (OR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.14–1.35]) and high (OR = 1.53, 95% CI [1.36–1.72]) specialisation levels. This trend held across age and gender groups, though the magnitude of association varied by sport. Conclusion: Sport specialisation is present in NZ young people, increases with age and varies by sport. Findings suggest there is an association between the degree of specialisation and injury history. This association is consistent across age groups and genders but varies across sports.