Knowledge and practice toward pelvic floor health: a cross-sectional study protocol within the medical staff of national Athletics teams

Objectives This study will aim to assess the knowledge and practices related to pelvic floor (PF) health within the medical staff of national Athletics teams. Secondary objectives will be to a) explore differences in PF health knowledge across individual, professional, and contextual characteristics; b) examine whether individual clinical practices and team-level approaches toward PF health will vary across subgroups.

This study will be an observational, cross-sectional design using a web-based survey, conducted during the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships. Participants will include healthcare professionals who are part of the medical staff of national Athletics teams, such as physicians, physiotherapists, nurses, nutritionists, and other allied health professionals. The survey will assess demographic and professional characteristics, basic knowledge and practices related to PF health. The questionnaire will undergo expert review and pilot testing before implementation. Participation will be voluntary and anonymous, with responses securely stored. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparative tests to explore group differences.

Findings will provide insight into how medical staff address PF health within elite Athletics, highlighting potential gaps in knowledge and clinical practice. Data will inform educational initiatives and policy recommendations, supporting the integration of PF health into elite athlete care and sports medicine training programs. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This research project is funded by World Athletics. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Bioethics Committee of the University of Bologna, Italy (Prot. N. 0184744) I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability Not applicable at this stage.