The Effect of Sport on Concussion Knowledge and Attitude in Youth Coaches

Undergraduates: Julia Gallini, Melissa C. Kay Johna K. Register-Mihalik

Faculty Advisor: Johna Register-Mihalik
Department: Biostatistics

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Most youth athletes do not have access to high-level medical care on the field due to their age. Coaches are often the initial care-providers in the case of injury. As such, it is important for youth sport coaches to have appropriate attitudes and knowledge about concussions to recognize potential injuries. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether sport influences coach knowledge and attitudes about concussions. A convenience sample of 81 youth coaches from North Carolina and Arizona participated in this study. Cross-sectional surveys were distributed to coaches who represented three middle schools and 21 youth teams. 86.25% of coaches were male. 42.5% had received concussion education, and 45% coached football. Overall mean knowledge score was 19.5¿¿3.3 out of a maximum 29. Mean attitude score was 40.6¿¿2.7 out of 49. Two one-way ANOVA¿¿¿s were run to examine the effect of sport on concussion knowledge and attitudes toward concussion. There was insufficient evidence to conclude that sport has an effect on either concussion knowledge (p=0.7044) or attitude (p=0.8049) toward concussion in youth coaches. To improve overall concussion knowledge and attitudes, it is important to understand what factors contribute to baseline levels. These findings suggest that sport does not affect youth coaches¿¿¿ knowledge or attitudes toward concussion. However, knowledge scores overall were low, highlighting the necessity of concussion education in youth coaches across all sports.