Rugby | 3-year study fails to link rugby to long-term health impact

Researchers say they have been unable to find any definitive links between rugby and long-term physical and psychological health problems in former players.
The study conducted by New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology, funded by governing body World Rugby and supported by New Zealand Rugby, took place between October, 2012 and March 2015, and involved 131 retired elite rugby players, 281 retired amateur community rugby players and 73 retired non-contact sports players.
Researchers assessed the general and cognitive health of participants from New Zealand who played rugby at a professional or community level from the 1980s until the 2000s and compared results to age-matched control groups.
World Rugby, released study’s findings this week, said the research “does not provide definitive links between rugby and long-term cognitive health issues and further research is required in this priority player welfare area.”
“The study showed that rugby players performed above average in some tests compared to non-contact sports players and less well in others,” World Rugby said in a statement. “It is therefore difficult to draw robust conclusions about the links between rugby and long-term cognitive health issues and highlights the need for further in-depth research.”
In their findings, researchers said further targeted research was needed to assess the impact of concussion on long-term balance and cognitive brain function. Arthritis and cardiovascular health in retired athletes also requires further investigation.
Researchers said ex-sportsmen reported better health, were more likely to be in long-term relationships, generally had higher incomes and were less likely to smoke cigarettes than the general New Zealand male population.
They also found that ex-
sportsmen, irrespective of the number of concussions reported, had no differences in marital status, hours worked per week, income, arthritis, medication use, mental health issues, sleeping patterns, frequency of alcohol use, current smoking levels, and current physical activity levels.
Athletes who reported four or more concussions during their careers performed worse in some, but not all, neuropsychological testing and those who had one to three concussions had a worse result in one of five balance tests.
The head of the International Rugby Players’ Association, Rob Nichol, welcomed the study’s findings and said while its results were not conclusive, “hopefully the learnings will allow for more targeted research in the future.”
Researchers warned that because recruitment of former players to the study was difficult, results were only indicative and findings should be treated with caution. AP