High School Athletes ’ Perceptions of Concussion

Background: The perception high school athletes have regarding concussions may influence their injury-reporting behavior, and if their perceptions are based on incorrect or incomplete information, they may be at risk for subsequent head injuries. Purpose: To determine whether the recent influx of concussion information has had a positive impact on high school athletes’ knowledge of concussions, to determine their perceptions regarding the severity of a concussion injury, and to determine whether receiving correct information will potentially alter their future reporting behavior. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 454 high school athletes (212 females, 242 males; mean age, 15.7 ± 1.15 years) from 6 different schools participated in an anonymous survey. The researchers met with teams individually at their high schools to collect data and provide an educational intervention regarding sports-related concussions. The survey questions assessed the athletes ’ personal injury his-tories and perceptions and knowledge of the severity of concussion injuries. Results: There was a difference in the number of athletes who reported having their ‘‘bell rung’ ’ (n 297) versus the number of athletes reporting at least 1 concussion (n 172) (t (453)11.60, P .000, d0.54). There was also a difference in the number of athletes who reported a history of at least 1 concussion at the beginning of the study session (n 172) versus the number of athletes who reported at least 1 concussion at the end of the session (n 292) (t (453) 12.018, P .000, d 0.732). Fifty percent of athletes also stated that the importance of a game/event should dictate when they return to play