July 3, 2020 at 10:48 a.m.
UW study: No school, sports during pandemic having negative impact on Wisconsin student-athletes
UW study: No school, sports during pandemic having negative impact on Wisconsin student-athletes
The study, conducted by Dr. Tim McGuine at UW, found that 65.4% of the more than 3,200 student-athletes surveyed for the study reported symptoms of anxiety, with 25.1% reporting moderate to severe anxiety. What's more, the percentage of respondents reporting symptoms of depression skyrocketed during the lockdown, with 68.2% of those surveyed reporting symptoms, compared to 31.4% in historical data collected by McGuine and his staff during previous studies.
Additionally, the physical activity of respondents was cut virtually in half during the pandemic and quality of life scores plummeted - well below control data of healthy athletes, non-athletes and athletes overcoming a significant injury, such as a concussion - the study said.
McGuine shared these findings last Tuesday in a Zoom conference put on by the WIAA with administration from districts across the state and members of the media.
"Something significant is going on here," McGuine said during the virtual meeting. "Just like the anxiety, we saw depression scores much higher than we anticipated ever seeing."
McGuine, who serves on the WIAA's Sports Medical Advisory Committee, has done previous studies with Wisconsin student-athletes. A study conducted in 2017 and 2018, in which Rhinelander High School soccer players participated, concluded the use of protective headgear among high school soccer players does not result in fewer or less severe sport-related concussions compared to players who wear no headgear at all.
For the study regarding the impact of the pandemic on student-athletes mental and physical well-being, McGuine said his staff sent out a social media blitz and mass e-mail campaign to recruit participants. There were 3,243 respondents representing 71 of the 72 counties in Wisconsin. Data was collected in May through an online survey using a number of questionnaires designed to measure respondents' levels of anxiety, depression, physical activity and health-related quality of life.
McGuine cautioned that these issues could have long-lasting effects, and would only worsen if closures continue into the fall and winter months.
"Mental health is not just a one-off, where it's affecting these kids in the short-term," he said. "The mental health experts I work with say the disorders that manifest themselves in youth and adolescence really become problems, not just now but later in life."
Later, McGuine added, "We also think that, moving forward, that these issues are going to be manifested to a greater degree the longer we keep kids out of sports and exercise opportunities. We have to notice that if we continue through the 2020-21 school year, we can expect low levels of physical activity manifest themselves and more mental health issues."
McGuine stated it was inconclusive if sports and school cancellations were the sole triggers of the results, noting several other potential factors - including the economic impact of the pandemic and the news of the pandemic dominating the headlines for several months.
"You can't turn on the news today without being chronically depressed, looking at what's going on and what's being said about the pandemic," he said. "We already know we have a high level of anxiety and depression built in. Without giving these kids an outlet of sports or physical activity, we're building on that mental health or anxiety because of that."
The study concluded that "public health experts and school administrators need to consider the impacts (benefits and risks) of prolonged school closures when considering steps to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin."
During the question-and-answer portion of the conference, McGuine was asked if the benefits of reopening schools and sports outweigh the risks of potentially increasing the spread of the virus.
"That's the $10 million question," he replied. "That's the trade we're always making. I don't know. Each community may have to answer that differently. Different districts, different counties may have different things going on. I think it's fair to say we can accommodate some sports going forward, getting school going."
A 19-page powerpoint summarizing the data in McGuine's study and a recording of the meeting are available to view on the WIAA's website.
The WIAA, in providing guidance to its member schools, has left the decision to conduct summertime contact days and - for 2020 spring sports teams - the opportunity to scrimmage and play games during July, up to individual school districts with guidance from their local health departments. RHS was scheduled to play a small slate of spring sports games later this month, but the plan was struck down by the district's pandemic response team June 23. The district approved a plan last week to allow coaches and athletes to resume using outdoor district facilities in a limited fashion for individual and sport-specific workouts.
"We know and understand there are many perspectives held on this topic," WIAA executive director Dave Anderson said during the meeting. "One of the important parts, I think, of how we might begin to respond to those who express those sorts of concerns are based on what we beginning to see emerging as far as the impact upon, documented research, impact of these school closings and separations upon all students."
The WIAA has released global and sport-specific guidance in regard to school contact with student-athletes in the month of July and said it anticipates have more specific guidance in regard to the fall sports season later this month.
"With life we cannot eliminate risk," said Dr. Kevin Walter who also serves on the WIAA Sports Advisory Medical Committee. "There's going to be hard, difficult discussions and decisions in the future, but we can't predict that because we don't know what's going to happen come August or September. Right now, we've got a plan for summer and we start discussing plans for fall from there."
Regardless of what happens, Walter said practices and games are likely to be quite different come August.
"Even full-contact football practice will be different," he said. "It won't look like it has in years past because there's going to need to be hygiene, disinfecting, some social distance, potentially practicing in pods, ideally coaches wearing masks when they can't socially distance."
Among other topics discussed during the conference was a statement issued June 25 from the American Academy of Pediatrics that "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."
"There's a growing body of evidence that not only are these kids less likely to get this virus. They seem to be less likely to pass it on," McGuine said, citing the AAP's statement.
In regard to if there will be any special relief given to schools and teams that may be impacted in the fall due to the pandemic, Anderson said the WIAA's bylaws and rules regarding eligibility remain in effect. However, Anderson said the WIAA and its board of control have been willing to work with its member schools due to the unprecedented situation caused by the pandemic, citing recent board of control actions granting an extension of the alternate year physical examination period and giving schools the option of waving academic eligibility requirements until the end of first grading period of the 2020-21 school year.
In regard to if the fall sports season, and the respective tournaments, will take place, Anderson said as long as member schools wish to participate, the sanctioning body will do everything in its power to ensure a season happens.
"If we have members that are open and want to have a regular season, we will do all within our ability to help those opportunities go forward," he said. "If our members are open and desire to have a tournament opportunity, until such a time where board of control would point us in a different direction or give us different marching orders, we'll do all that we can to provide a tournament opportunity for members that are open and would desire one."
Anderson noted that no school district has indicated to the WIAA its intention not to play in the fall as of yet.
In regard to speculation that some sports with a higher risk of potentially spreading the virus, such as football, could be pushed back to the spring of 2021 due to the pandemic, Anderson said, "while it's been chatted about, informally, with other state offices, to the best of my knowledge there is no one heading in that direction right now."
Anderson, Walter and McGuine cautioned that the information regarding COVID-19 is fluid and ever-changing. Anderson cited a meeting he had March 9 with the CDC where it was recommended that sporting events go forward just as the virus started to surface in the U.S. By March 12, the WIAA had canceled its remaining winter sports tournaments and suspended the spring sports season due to the pandemic.
"We recognize that the nature of this virus has been and likely will continue to be rapidly changing but, within that, we are doing the best that all of us are able by hearing from experts, like Dr. McGuine and Dr. Walter and to heed their guidance and incorporate their guidance to the best of our ability to continue to serve the students that are the No. 1 and primary recipients of all of our attention," Anderson said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.