Sports injury prevention and management in university physical education: a qualitative study of lecturers and students in Sichuan Province, China

Sports injuries are a common concern in university physical education (PE), where students participate in structured physical activity and lecturers are responsible for teaching, supervision, and injury-related safety practice. However, limited evidence describes how sports injury prevention and management are understood and practised by university PE lecturers and students in China. This study explored lecturers’ and students’ beliefs, experiences, and practices related to sports injury prevention and management in university PE. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 15 university PE lecturers and 15 university students from universities in Sichuan Province, China. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically, with the Theory of Planned Behavior used as a sensitising framework to interpret behavioural, normative, and control-related beliefs associated with injury prevention and management behaviours. Three belief-related themes were identified. First, participants generally recognised the value of sports injury prevention and management, but described difficulties integrating safety practices into teaching and learning contexts shaped by performance expectations, academic assessment, and training demands. Second, social influences, including expectations from lecturers, students, peers, institutions, and the wider PE environment, shaped participants’ perceptions of responsibility for injury prevention and management. Third, participants described factors affecting their ability to prevent and manage injuries, including confidence and prior experience, as well as barriers such as limited time, insufficient facilities, lack of resources, and inadequate institutional support. Sports injury prevention and management in university PE are shaped by both individual beliefs and contextual conditions. The findings suggest that injury prevention and management efforts should include practical injury prevention education, clearer safety responsibilities, skills development, and supportive university policies. These findings may inform safety teaching practice and future intervention development in university PE settings.