Term of Award

Spring 2021

Degree Name

Master of Science, Kinesiology - Athletic Training Concentration

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology

Committee Chair

Bridget Melton

Committee Member 1

Richard Westrick

Committee Member 2

Greg Ryan

Committee Member 3

Erin Jordan

Committee Member 3 Email

ejordan2@mail.wvu.edu

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in the U.S. military which poses a major threat to military readiness. However, recent research indicates that Soldiers do not seek medical care for nearly half of their injuries. PURPOSE: Identify barriers in injury reporting using the Theory of Planned Behavior within a U.S. Army special operations aviation population. METHODS: This descriptive study utilized a self-report survey to explore injury rates, reporting rates, and perceptions of reporting behaviors. RESULTS: Of the 108 Soldiers who completed this study 77.8% experienced a MSKI in the previous 12 months and 69% sought medical care (reported their injury) to a medical provider. CONCLUSION: The construct with the least favorable mean score was subjective norm indicating Soldiers do not feel that their leadership or fellow Soldiers support them in reporting injuries. Having embedded providers and implementing behavior change interventions may encourage Soldiers to report their injuries and increase military readiness. Future research should address Soldier and leadership behavior change interventions aimed to encourage Soldiers to seek care for their injuries.

OCLC Number

1252723340

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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