Implementation of the NCAA Sickle Cell Trait Screening Policy: A Survey of Athletic Staff and Student-athletes

Charlotte Baker; Jill Powell; Dominic Le; Melissa S Creary; Lori-Ann Daley; Mary Anne McDonald; Charmaine Dm Royal

doi:10.1016/j.jnma.2018.03.004

Implementation of the NCAA Sickle Cell Trait Screening Policy: A Survey of Athletic Staff and Student-athletes

J Natl Med Assoc. 2018 Dec;110(6):564-573. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2018.03.004. Epub 2018 Apr 7.

Authors

Charlotte Baker¹, Jill Powell², Dominic Le², Melissa S Creary³, Lori-Ann Daley², Mary Anne McDonald², Charmaine Dm Royal⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Florida A&M University, 1515 S Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, FSH Science Research Center Room 209E, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA. Electronic address: charlotte.baker@famu.edu.
² Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference (GRID), Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Box 90420 Durham, NC 27708-0420, USA.
³ Emory University Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts (ILA), Emory University, 1635 N. Decatur Road Atlanta 30322, Georgia.
⁴ Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference (GRID), Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Box 90420 Durham, NC 27708-0420, USA; Department of African and African American Studies, Duke University, 234 Ernestine Friedl Building, Box 90252, Durham, NC 27708, USA.

PMID: 30129496
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnma.2018.03.004

Abstract

Objective: To describe the perspectives and experiences of athletic trainers, coaches, and student-athletes approximately three years post-implementation of the NCAA sickle cell trait (SCT) screening policy.

Participants: Two-hundred and eight student-athletes, 32 athletic trainers, and 43 coaches from 10 NCAA Division I (DI) institutions in North Carolina from January to June 2014.

Methods: Two online surveys were used to assess knowledge, perspectives, and experiences.

Results: Athletic staff were more supportive than student-athletes of the need for the policy. Noted challenges included variation in implementation and follow-up for SCT-positive athletes, financial costs to institutions and athletes, and timing of the screening.

Conclusions: More education about SCT is needed for student-athletes and athletic staff in order to help make the implementation more successful. All parties need to be in agreement regarding the importance of knowing which student-athletes have SCT and how that information will be utilized.

Keywords: Athletics; Clinical medicine; Genetic counseling; Health education; Pre-participation examination; Sickle cell trait; Sports medicine.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Athletes / psychology
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Organizational Policy
Organizations, Nonprofit
Program Development
Sickle Cell Trait / diagnosis*
Sickle Cell Trait / economics
Sports*
Students / psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Universities* / economics
Young Adult