Effects of preseason concussion education on self-reported likelihood and confidence in concussion reporting
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Abstract
Around three million concussions happen in the United States from sport and recreational activity alone, and it is estimated 50% of concussions go undiagnosed. Collegiate athletes have been found to not report their symptoms of concussion mainly because they felt their symptoms were not severe enough and they did not think there were any long-term consequences from continuing to play. This study attempts to find if preseason concussion education for collegiate hockey players and club athletes changes their perceptions about concussions, and if these changes are maintained after returning to sport/competition. This study used three identical surveys over three time points to evaluate concussion perception before preseason concussion education, immediately after preseason concussion education, and two to three weeks after returning to in-season/competition. Survey results suggest preseason concussion education is effective at increasing likelihood and confidence of reporting signs and symptoms of concussion in teammates and themselves, (F(3)= 25.317, p < 0.001). This study shows preseason concussion education as an effective method in making athletes more confident and likely to report possible concussions.