Stefan Backe

Bio: Stefan Backe is an academic researcher from Karlstad University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Poison control & Health promotion. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 129 citations.

Rock climbing injury rates and associated risk factors in a general climbing population

Abstract: The objective was to examine injury rates and associated risk factors in a representative sample of climbers. A random sample (n=606) of the Swedish Climbing Association members was sent a postal survey, with an effective response rate of 63%. Self-reported data regarding climbing history, safety practices and retrospective accounts of injury events (recall period 1.5 years) were obtained. Descriptive statistical methods were used to calculate injury incidences, and a two-step method including zero-inflated Poisson's regression analysis of re-injuries was used to determine the combination of risk factors that best explained individual injury rates. Overall, 4.2 injuries per 1000 climbing hours were reported, overuse injuries accounting for 93% of all injuries. Inflammatory tissue damages to fingers and wrists were the most common injury types. The multivariate analysis showed that overweight and practicing bouldering generally implied an increased primary injury risk, while there was a higher re-injury risk among male climbers and a lower risk among the older climbers. The high percentage of overuse injuries implies that climbing hours and loads should be gradually and systematically increased, and climbers regularly controlled for signs and symptoms of overuse. Further study of the association between body mass index and climbing injury is warranted.

Is "football for all" safe for all? : Cross-Sectional Study of Disparities as Determinants of 1-Year Injury Prevalence in Youth Football Programs

Abstract: Background: Football (soccer) is endorsed as a health-promoting physical activity worldwide. When football programs are introduced as part of general health promotion programs, equal access and lim ...

Monitoring the "tip of the iceberg'': ambulance records as a source of injury surveillance.

Abstract: Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of moderate and severe injury morbidity in a defined population based on ambulance records, and to validate ambulance records as a poten ...

Governance and implementation of sports safety practices by municipal offices in Swedish communities

Abstract: The objective of this study was to explore whether all-purpose health or safety promotion programmes and sports safety policies affect sports safety practices in local communities. Case study research methods were used to compare sports safety activities among offices in 73 Swedish municipalities; 28 with ongoing health or safety promotion programmes and 45 controls. The offices in municipalities with the WHO Healthy Cities (HC) or Safe Communities programmes were more likely to perform frequent inspections of sports facilities, and offices in the WHO HC programme were more likely to involve sports clubs in inspections. More than every second, property management office and environmental protection office conducted sports safety inspections compared with less than one in four planning offices and social welfare offices. It is concluded that all-purpose health and safety promotion programmes can reach out to have an effect on sports safety practices in local communities. These safety practices also reflect administrative work routines and managerial traditions.

External review and validation of the Swedish national inpatient register

Abstract: Background: The Swedish National Inpatient Register (IPR), also called the Hospital Discharge Register, is a principal source of data for numerous research projects. The IPR is part of the National Patient Register. The Swedish IPR was launched in 1964 (psychiatric diagnoses from 1973) but complete coverage did not begin until 1987. Currently, more than 99% of all somatic (including surgery) and psychiatric hospital discharges are registered in the IPR. A previous validation of the IPR by the National Board of Health and Welfare showed that 85-95% of all diagnoses in the IPR are valid. The current paper describes the history, structure, coverage and quality of the Swedish IPR. Methods and results: In January 2010, we searched the medical databases, Medline and HighWire, using the search algorithm “validat* (inpatient or hospital discharge) Sweden”. We also contacted 218 members of the Swedish Society of Epidemiology and an additional 201 medical researchers to identify papers that had validated the IPR. In total, 132 papers were reviewed. The positive predictive value (PPV) was found to differ between diagnoses in the IPR, but is generally 85-95%. Conclusions: In conclusion, the validity of the Swedish IPR is high for many but not all diagnoses. The long followup makes the register particularly suitable for large-scale population-based research, but for certain research areas the use of other health registers, such as the Swedish Cancer Register, may be more suitable.

Overweight and obesity are associated with musculoskeletal complaints as early as childhood: a systematic review.

Abstract: In order to examine (i) the association between weight status and musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) in children, and (ii) whether overweight and obese children have a higher risk of developing MSC than normal-weight children Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane were searched (all years up to 2 January 2013) for observational studies studying direct associations between body mass index (or weight status) and MSC in children. Forty studies, together studying over one million children, were included. There was moderate quality of evidence that being overweight in childhood is positively associated with musculoskeletal pain (risk ratio [RR] 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.45). In addition, low quality of evidence was found for a positive association between overweight and low back pain (RR 1.42; 95% CI: 1.03-1.97) and between overweight and injuries and fractures (RR 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.14). Although the risk of developing an injury was significantly higher for overweight than for normal-weight adolescents (RR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.42 to 4.10), this evidence was of very low quality. Overweight and obesity are associated with musculoskeletal pain, injuries and fractures as early as childhood. More high-quality prospective cohort studies are needed to study the nature of this relationship.

Football Injuries in Children and Adolescent Players: Are There Clues for Prevention?

Abstract: Football (soccer) is the world's most popular sport with most players being younger than 18 years. Playing football can induce beneficial health effects, but there is also a high risk of injury. Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures for preventing injuries. The present review analyzes and summarizes published scientific information on the incidence and characteristics of football injuries in children and adolescent players to arrive at sound conclusions and valid considerations for the development of injury-prevention programs. A literature search was conducted up to November 2012. Fifty-three relevant scientific publications were detected. Thirty-two studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for pooled analysis. Additional information from the remaining 21 studies was considered where appropriate to obtain a broader perspective on the injury problem in children and youth football. Training injury incidence was nearly constant for players aged 13-19 years, ranging from 1 to 5 injuries per 1,000 h training. Match injury incidence tended to increase with age through all age groups, with an average incidence of about 15 to 20 injuries per 1,000 match hours in players older than 15 years. Between 60 and 90 % of all football injuries were classified as traumatic and about 10-40 % were overuse injuries. Most injuries (60-90 %) were located at the lower extremities with the ankle, knee, and thigh being mostly affected. The frequency of upper-extremity and head/face injuries was higher in those studies that analyzed match injuries only. The most common injury types were strains, sprains, and contusions (10 up to 40 % each). There is some evidence that the risk of traumatic injuries and, in particular, of sustaining a fracture, contusion, or concussion was higher during match play than in practice sessions. Fractures were more frequent in children younger than 15 years than in older players. About half of all time-loss injuries led to an absence from sport of less than 1 week, one third resulted in an absence between 1 and 4 weeks, and 10 to 15 % of all injuries were severe. Separate data for players under the age of 11 years are almost absent. Maturation status seems to have an influence on injury characteristics, although evidence is not conclusive at this time. Three main areas seem to be of particular relevance for future prevention research in young football players: (1) the substantial number of severe contact injuries during matches, (2) the high number of fractures in younger players, and (3) the influence of maturation status and growth spurts.

Injury patterns in Swedish elite athletics: annual incidence, injury types and risk factors

Abstract: Objective To estimate the incidence, type and severity of musculoskeletal injuries in youth and adult elite athletics athletes and to explore risk factors for sustaining injuries. Design Prospectiv ...

Epidemiology of ankle and foot overuse injuries in sports: a systematic review.

Abstract: Studies regarding ankle and foot overuse injuries are quite diverse in research methodology, data reporting, and outcomes. The aims of this systematic review were to analyze the methodology of published studies regarding ankle and foot overuse injuries in different sports disciplines and to summarize epidemiological data of ankle and foot overuse injuries. Four electronic databases, PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus(®) were systematically searched up to June 2011. A total of 89 articles on 23 sports disciplines were included in this review. Soccer, running, and gymnastics were the most frequently studied sports. Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and stress fracture were the most frequently studied injuries. Study design and reporting methods were heterogeneous. Most studies suffered from a weak methodology and poor reporting. The most common weaknesses were lack of a clear case definition, describing assessment procedures and reporting sample characteristics. Due to methodological heterogeneity of studies, inter-sports and intra-sports comparisons and meta-analysis were not possible. Methodology of most studies on incidence and prevalence of ankle and foot overuse injuries is insufficient. Based on the results, we recommend authors to clearly define cases, describe assessment procedures and report sample characteristics adequately.