Citation

Baugh CM, Kroshus E, Kiernan PT, Mendel D, Meehan W. J. Neurotrauma 2016; 34(4): 790-797.

Affiliation

Children's Hospital Boston, 1862, Division of Sports Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States ; William.Meehan@childrens.harvard.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2016.4585

PMID

27526721

Abstract

Concussion is increasingly recognized as a risk of participation in contact and collision sports. There have been few examinations of athletes' perceptions of their susceptibility to concussion or concussion-related health consequences. We examine college football players' perceptions of their risk of sustaining a concussion and concussion-related health consequences in their future, whether these perceptions change over time, and how concussion history is related to perceived future risk of concussion and concussion-related health consequences. A survey was administered to NCAA Division I Football Championship Series athletes on ten teams in 2013 and to nine of those teams in 2014. Athletes answered questions assessing their perceptions of concussion and potential concussion-related health consequences. Approximately 40% of athletes believed there was a strong possibility that they would sustain a concussion in the future, while approximately one-in-four thought a concussion would make them miss a few games. About one-in-ten athletes predicted they would develop dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy from concussions. These beliefs were stronger among athletes who had sustained prior concussions. Across the two years studied, athletes' perception of risk of concussion and missing a few games due to concussion decreased significantly. Overall, a substantial proportion of college football players believe they will suffer long-term health consequences as a result of sustaining sport-related concussions. The true incidence and prevalence of many of these outcomes are unknown. Further research is needed to determine if athletes have an accurate perception of the risks of developing these outcomes.


Keywords: American football;

Language: en