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Significant health care disparities exist in the United States based on socioeconomic status (SES), but the role SES has in secondary school athletes' access to athletic training services has not been examined on a national scale. To identify differences in access to athletic training services in public secondary schools based on school SES. Cross-sectional study. Database secondary analysis. Data for 3482 public high schools. Data were gathered from the Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) database, US Census Bureau, and National Center for Education Statistics. We included schools from 5 states with the highest, middle, and lowest poverty percentages (15 states total) and collected county median household income, percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, race and ethnicity demographics, and access to athletic training services (full-time athletic trainer [AT], part-time AT only, no AT) for each school. Data were summarized in means, SDs, medians, interquartile ranges (IQRs), frequencies and proportions, 1-way analyses of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Differences were present in school SES between schools with full-time, part-time-only, and no athletic training services. Schools with greater access to athletic training services had fewer students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (full time: 41.1% ± 22.3%, part time only: 45.8% ± 24.3%, no AT: 52.9% ± 24.9; P <.001). Similarly, county median household income was higher in schools with increased access to athletic training services (full time median [IQR]: $56 026 [$49 085–$64 557], part time only: $52 719 [$45 355–$62 105], and no AT: $49 584 [$41 094–$57 688]; P <.001). Disparities in SES were seen in access to athletic training services among a national sample of public secondary schools. Access to ATs positively influences student-athletes' health care across several measures. Pilot programs or government funds have been used previously to fund athletic training services and should be considered to ensure equitable access, regardless of school SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a web-based survey and a cross-sectional design to investigate the health literacy levels of collegiate student-athletes. The survey included a demographic questionnaire and the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy Assessment, which scores an individual's ability to understand relevant health care information. We calculated descriptive statistics for demographic characteristics and Short Test of Functional Health Literacy Assessment scores. All participants (n = 160) displayed adequate health literacy (mean = 34 ± 2; range = 27–36; adequate = 160/160, 100%). The mean Short Test of Functional Health Literacy Assessment score for both White (range = 27–36; adequate = 133/133, 100%), and non-White participants (range = 28–36, adequate = 27/27, 100%) was 34 ± 2. Health care professionals should feel confident in collaborating with individual patients throughout the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological ownership (PO) is a state in which an individual feels possession over an object, organization, or entity (eg, PO over the organization where one works, PO over the profession one serves). Understanding PO could provide insight into the "vitality of the profession" as defined in the Prioritized Research Agenda for the Athletic Training Profession. To explore athletic trainers' (ATs') PO over their employing organizations and the athletic training profession. Cross-sectional study. Web-based survey. Clinically practicing ATs who were active members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. Demographic variables, Psychological Ownership Questionnaire (POQ) scores, and Psychological Ownership Questionnaire for athletic training (POQ-AT) scores were the primary outcomes measured. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the demographic variables, POQ and POQ-AT overall scores, form scores, and dimension scores. Nonparametric tests were used to investigate differences between the POQ and POQ-AT by demographic characteristics. The ATs indicated greater PO over the athletic training profession (Z = −3.45, P =.001) than over their employing organizations. They displayed greater belongingness (Z = −9.51, P <.001) and self-identity (Z = −8.71, P <.001) and less territoriality (Z = −5.52, P <.001) and accountability (Z = −5.33, P <.001) over their profession than their organization. Those ATs who supervised others had higher overall POQ (Mann-Whitney U test = 34 372, P <.001) and overall POQ-AT (U = 36 624, P =.014) scores than ATs who did not supervise others. A difference was evident in overall POQ (Kruskal-Wallis statistical analysis H4 = 20.47, P <.001) and overall POQ-AT (H4 = 21.34, P <.001) scores by years of experience. Respondents indicated greater PO over their profession than their employing organizations. They demonstrated greater self-identity and belongingness and less territoriality and accountability over the athletic training profession than over their employing organization, suggesting that they were connecting aspirations and accomplishments with the profession but connecting duty and responsibility with their organizations. Years of experience and supervisor status may play roles in the level of organizational PO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]