Objectives
Prep to be PRO is a comprehensive, module-based educational program for young athletes attending sport high schools, focusing on injury and illness prevention, long-term development, and health literacy, delivered by the school's coaching and teaching staff. Guided by the TRIPP and RE-AIM frameworks, this study aimed to evaluate the final development phase. We explored early coach and athlete experiences and examined the implementation process using Durlak and DuPre's eight dimensions of implementation quality to identify factors that may facilitate or hinder future integration of the program into routine practice.
Design
Mixed-methods case study.
Methods
Data were collected from school administrator and coach workshop evaluations, athlete feedback following an instructional session, and observational field notes generated through researcher participation. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were combined, with qualitative data first analyzed thematically and then interpreted through RE-AIM and Durlak and DuPre's framework to identify relevant factors.
Results
In total, evaluations were collected from 174 school administrators and coaches and 986 athletes. Key factors that facilitated program uptake included the perceived relevance of the content, robust training support, engaged leadership, and structured mechanisms for feedback and fidelity monitoring. The primary challenges were limited time and resources, variability in coach readiness, tensions between program standardization and local adaptation, and competing institutional priorities. Together, these factors shaped initial adoption and highlighted the need for purposeful infrastructural support to sustain the program over time.
Conclusions
Effective scaling depends on strengthening the implementation infrastructure, especially by boosting coach support, clarifying roles, and striking the right balance between fidelity and flexibility yet preserving the program's core elements.