Concussion Awareness & Recognition: Youth Sport Parent's Perceptions
Abstract
Youth sport concussion has recently become a topic of concern for health care professionals. Young athletes are at greater risk of sustaining a concussion because children have a greater head-to-body ratio and their cervical musculature and cranial bones are not fully developed. Access to on-site medical professionals is limited for young athletes, leaving recognition and management of the injury to the parents. Limited research has examined parental knowledge of concussion. The purpose of this study was to examine youth sport parents' knowledge regarding the recognition, assessment, and management of concussion. A cross-sectional descriptive design utilizing a SurveyMonkey™ questionnaire was emailed to all parents associated with two gymnastics organizations in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. Included in the survey were outcome measures that included knowledge of concussion etiology, the ability to recognize concussive symptoms, and knowledge of concussion management. Eighty-nine parents of youth sports athletes participated in this study, a 25 percent response rate. A novel survey instrument was developed to assess parental concussion knowledge. Internal reliability of the instrument was established prior to the study with a pilot group (Cronbach's alpha= 0.67). Data analysis included information regarding frequency and percentages of overall results and demographic data. Overall, participants in this study had moderate knowledge of concussion recognition, diagnosis, and management. Participants with and without prior medical training differed significantly in their knowledge of concussion etiology (P= 0.0016). There was no significant difference between these groups in their ability to recognize concussive symptoms (P= 0.08) or in the knowledge level regarding concussion management (P= 0.68). There was no significant difference between parents with children who participate in more than one sport and those whose children participate in gymnastics only (P= 0.76). Those who have personally (themselves or their children) been diagnosed with a concussion and those who had never been diagnosed with a concussion were not significantly different in their overall concussion knowledge (P= 1.92). Parents have a moderate level of knowledge regarding some aspects of concussive injuries. Additional educational opportunities for parents may help increase concussion awareness.