Delahunty Sinéad E, Delahunt Eamonn, Condon Brian, Toomey David, Blake Catherine
School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, Health Science Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
J Sch Health. 2015 Jan;85(1):17-26. doi: 10.1111/josh.12219.
Youth rugby players represent 45.2% (N = 69,472) of the Irish rugby union playing population. The risk and consequences of concussion injury are of particular concern in these young athletes, but limited epidemiological data exists. This study investigated annual and lifetime prevalence of concussion in an Irish schoolboy rugby union cohort.
An anonymous cross-sectional survey of youth rugby players was conducted. Diagnosed concussion was defined as an incident where diagnosis was confirmed by a health professional or coach. Demographics, prevalence, and attitudes to concussion were collated. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, and logistic regression.
Overall, 304 youth (aged 12-18 years) responded. Lifetime prevalence of diagnosed concussion was 19.4%, with annual (2010) prevalence 6.6%. Approximately 25.4% of players with diagnosed concussions returned to play without medical advice. Internal motivation (11.8%) was the predominant factor in feeling pressure to play while concussed. A desire for further concussion education was expressed by 89.5% of participants.
Reform is required to prevent and manage concussion injuries among youth players in the rugby union, including mandatory education specific to concussion and implementation of return-to-play protocols. These findings have relevance for governing bodies, coaches, clinicians, schools, parents, and rugby union players.
青少年橄榄球运动员占爱尔兰橄榄球联盟参赛人口的45.2%（N = 69472）。脑震荡损伤的风险和后果在这些年轻运动员中尤为令人担忧，但流行病学数据有限。本研究调查了爱尔兰男学生橄榄球联盟队列中脑震荡的年度患病率和终生患病率。
对青少年橄榄球运动员进行了一项匿名横断面调查。确诊的脑震荡定义为经健康专业人员或教练确认诊断的事件。整理了人口统计学、患病率和对脑震荡的态度。使用描述性统计、卡方检验、t检验、曼-惠特尼检验和逻辑回归分析数据。
总体而言，304名青少年（年龄在12 - 18岁之间）做出了回应。确诊脑震荡的终生患病率为19.4%，2010年的年度患病率为6.6%。约25.4%确诊脑震荡的球员在没有医疗建议的情况下重返赛场。内在动机（11.8%）是脑震荡时感到有比赛压力的主要因素。89.5%的参与者表示希望接受更多关于脑震荡的教育。
需要进行改革，以预防和管理橄榄球联盟青少年球员中的脑震荡损伤，包括针对脑震荡的强制性教育和实施重返赛场协议。这些发现对管理机构、教练、临床医生、学校、家长和橄榄球联盟球员具有参考价值。
