Women-Specific Health Factors in Community-Level Australian Football Players

CONTEXT: Women's participation in Australian Football has increased rapidly since the Australian Football League's Women's launch in 2017. We aimed to describe the sociodemographic factors as well as general medical and women-specific health factors in women playing community-level Australian football. We also sought to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic factors and women's health conditions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Participants were community Australian football players enrolled in a stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial evaluating an injury prevention program for community women's Australian football. The player surveys were completed online via REDCAP®. Data were collated and summarized as frequencies and percentages or means and standard deviations as appropriate. RESULTS: The most common women's health-specific issues were irregular or absent periods (23.9%) (n = 435), polycystic ovarian syndrome (4.8%) (n = 88), endometriosis (3.6%) (n = 66), and pelvic floor dysfunction (eg, leaking urine when exercising) (3.5%) (n = 34). A total of 478 women (25.6%) (95% CIs, 23.7%-27.7%) reported a history of breast injury. Of these, 385 (80.5%) resulted in pain, 179 (37.4%) in bruising, 18 (3.8%) in swelling, 11 (2.3%) in decreased performance, and 13 (2.7%) in other symptoms. Higher body mass index was associated with a history of breast injury (odds ratio 1.03, 95% CIs, 1.01-1.05, Z = 2.79). Six players reported being pregnant, 41 players were breastfeeding, and 27 players reported they had given birth in the last 5 years. More than 10% of players reported that they regularly relied on their care (6% children; 7% other family members). DISCUSSION: Women playing community Australian football reported diverse health experiences, including menstrual irregularities, breast injuries, and conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis. A quarter of players reported a history of breast injury resulting in pain, bruising, and decreased performance. These findings highlight the importance of understanding and addressing women-specific health needs to enhance participation, retention, and well-being in community football.