Co-creating injury prevention training for youth handball players targeting end-users at the individual, team and organizational levels

Introduction
Injury prevention training is effective in reducing injuries in youth team sports, but public health impact is limited because such training is not widely, properly, or sustainably implemented. Insufficient involvement of end-users has been identified as a main barrier to implementation. Based on results from previous studies within the I-PROTECT project, the aim was to develop a full version of injury prevention education and training specifically for youth handball players targeting end-users at the individual, team, and organizational levels.
Materials and Methods
A co-creating process involving researchers/experts (sports medicine, sport psychology, handball, physical therapy, and/or strength and conditioning), and end-users (coaches, players, club administrators) was used to develop end-user-targeted education and training.
Results
The intervention was made available in a specifically developed interactive mobile application (I-PROTECT GO) with modules for players, coaches, club administrators, and caregivers. All modules include current knowledge about injury prevention training. In addition: the coach module includes physical and sport psychology exercises integrated within handball training; the player module includes strength and sport psychology exercises; the club administrator module includes education about implementation. To support self-management, adoption, and motivation, programs are provided, and end-users can change, add, and progress the difficulty of exercises.
Conclusion
End-users and researchers/experts co-created education and training for youth handball targeting end-users at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Further studies will test and evaluate the intervention and the mobile application.