Citation

Brett BL, Huber DL, Wild A, Nelson LD, McCrea MA. Sports Health 2019; 11(4): 332-342.

Affiliation

Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1941738119849076

PMID

31173699

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To assess the relationship between age of first exposure (AFE) to American football and later behavioral, cognitive, psychological, and physical (oculomotor functioning and postural stability) outcomes in high school and collegiate football players. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3b.

METHODS: Active high school and collegiate football players (N = 1802) underwent a comprehensive preseason evaluation on several clinical outcome measures. Demographic and health variables that significantly differed across AFE groups were identified as potential covariates. General linear models (GLMs) with AFE as the independent variable were performed for each clinical outcome variable. Similar GLMs that included identified covariates, with AFE as the predictor, were subsequently performed for each clinical outcome variable.

RESULTS: After controlling for covariates of age, concussion history, race, and a diagnosis of ADHD, earlier AFE (<12 vs ≥12 years) did not significantly predict poorer performance on any clinical outcome measures ( Ps >0.05). A single statistically significant association between AFE group and somatization scores was recorded, with the AFE <12 exhibiting lower levels of somatization.

CONCLUSION: In a large cohort of active American high school and collegiate football student-athletes, AFE before the age of 12 years was not associated with worse behavioral, cognitive, psychological, and physical (oculomotor functioning and postural stability) outcomes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The current findings suggest that timing of onset of football exposure does not result in poorer functioning in adolescence and young adults and may contribute to resilience through decreased levels of physically related psychological distress.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescence; age of first exposure; concussion; football; sports; traumatic brain injury