Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/40798
Title: Healthy athletes?
Authors: Podesta, Maya
Keywords: Athletes -- Malta
Lifestyles -- Malta
Public health
Health promotion
Issue Date: 2013
Citation: Podesta M. (2013). Healthy athletes? (Master's dissertation).
Abstract: Society perceives athletes to be the healthiest of all people. Literature shows that former athletes have been found to have a lower risk of morbidity and a longer life expectancy when compared to the general population. This study sets out to explore whether the self-reported general health and lifestyle of current Maltese elite athletes, is better than that of the general Maltese population. To this end, a comparative study using historical matched controls was carried out. A cross-sectional interview survey was held among a random sample of elite and high level Maltese athletes between May and July 2013. Collection of quantitative data used an adapted version of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) tool, which made comparing our results to those collected from the EHIS held in Malta in 2008 possible. The study included 3 controls for every athlete, matched for age, gender and education. There were 107 respondents from a sample of 180 high level athletes identified by sporting entities, yielding a response rate of 60.5%. Although results show that no significant difference between the perceived health of athletes and the general population, a number of significant differences emerged. Athletes maintain a healthier weight and appear to engage in healthier lifestyles, in that they undergo more physical activity, eat more fruit and vegetables, and smoke less than their counterparts. However they also consume more alcohol. The life of an athlete is not without its trials and tribulations. Participating at high competitive levels leaves both physical and psychological sequelae. In fact, a third of participants had sustained an injury over the previous year, contributing to the fact that athletes had experienced significantly more pain (p<0.000), and reported being more limited in daily activities. Athletes are more likely to suffer from asthma (p=0.017) and stomach ulcers (p=0.010) than their counterparts. Our study population also consumes significantly more medication, both prescribed and non-prescribed, notably medication for asthma, allergies, pain and stomach problems. Athletes have a lower vitality index score than the controls. With regards to health care use, although athletes tend to visit general practitioners less than the general population, consultations with medical and surgical specialists is higher. These differences did not reach statistical significance. However, athletes are more likely to visit physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and chiropractors (p<0.000), and check their blood parameters more than their counterparts. These findings may reflect a tendency among athletes to maintain optimal health, but is this a genuine concern, or a means to an end, for success in sports? This study is riddled with contradictory evidence, as although athletes lead a healthier lifestyle, they seem to be jeopardizing their health by stressing their body both physically and mentally. Thus, the notion of athletes being healthier than the general population has been challenged in this study. The research also embarks on a number of recommendations for the provision of a comprehensive health service directed towards athletes, which could be the lynch pin required to minimise their vulnerabilities and foster mental and physical well-being would can translate into more competitive success.
Description: M.SC. PUBLIC HEALTH
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/40798
Appears in Collections:Dissertations - FacM&SPH - 2013

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