Knowledge and behavioral patterns of youth ice hockey parents regarding sport concussion: a pilot study

Purpose: There is an abundance of available concussion education programs for parents of youth ice hockey players. Parents play a vital role in recognizing signs and symptoms of a concussion sustained by a child, and therefore their knowledge and retention of such information is deemed to be very important. The purpose of the pilot survey is identify the general knowledge parents of youth ice hockey players possess regarding concussion. Methods: A survey of a sample of convenience was utilized. Forty-five parents (40 to 49 years of age) of youth ice hockey players were asked to complete a one-page survey to assess their knowledge of concussion. The ages of their children ranged from seven through ten, and all parents were recruited to participate while attending a team practice session at a local ice hockey arena. Results: Parents generally were aware of common concussion related symptoms (headache 98%, difficulty with concentrating 96%, mental confusion 91%, vomiting 91%, sensitivity to light 91%, and blurred vision 82%) while not so familiar with symptoms such as tinnitus (62%) and agitated behaviors (47%). Fifty percent of those surveyed were unaware if their youth hockey organization had a concussion policy. Conclusion: Parents of youth ice hockey players seem to fail to retain information learned from concussion education programs. Barriers to learning retention may include the ages of the youth participating, the abundance of informal and inconsistent information that is available, and the lack of organizational administration of concussion education programs. Parents appear to be receptive to receiving more information regarding the safety of their children. Parental recognition of the signs and symptoms of a concussion sustained while playing youth ice hockey may lead to more appropriate and timely management of the injury