Youngstown State University, 1 University Plaza, 307L Beeghly Center, Youngstown, OH, 44512, USA.
Michigan State University, 105 IM Sports Circle, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2018 Feb;5(1):221-228. doi: 10.1007/s40615-017-0361-1. Epub 2017 Apr 7.
The purpose of this study was to identify if knowledge of concussion differences exists between communities that service underserved, African-American athletes compared to white athletes, and to explore differences in concussion knowledge between African-American and white athletes with and without access to an athletic trainer.
Five hundred seventy-seven adolescent athletes ranging in age from 13 to 18 from 14 schools in the USA completed a one-time pencil and paper survey instrument. Data were collected from September 2014 to April 2015. All athletes included in the study received concussion education implemented (i.e., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Heads UP documents) by state concussion law. Knowledge of concussion scores were determined by summing the total correct responses to the 35 questions. Race (white or African-American) and access to an athletic trainer were the independent variables explored.
White high school athletes have increased concussion knowledge compared to African-American athletes (p < 0.001). African-American athletes less frequently recognized all correct signs and symptoms of concussion compared to white athletes. African-American athletes with access to an athletic trainer have more knowledge than African-American athletes without access to an athletic trainer (p = 0.003).
White athletes had more concussion knowledge than African-American athletes; however, African-Americans that had access to an athletic trainer at their respective school were more likely to identify the signs and symptoms of concussion compared to African-Americans that did not have access to an athletic trainer. This further accentuates the health disparity that occurs in high school athletics, in regard to the presence of an athletic trainer and their influence on an athlete's health and safety.
本研究旨在确定服务于服务不足的非裔美国运动员和白人运动员的社区之间是否存在脑震荡差异知识，并探讨有无运动训练师可及性的非裔美国运动员和白人运动员之间的脑震荡知识差异。
美国 14 所学校的 577 名年龄在 13 至 18 岁的青少年运动员完成了一次性纸笔调查工具。数据收集于 2014 年 9 月至 2015 年 4 月。研究中包括的所有运动员均接受了由州脑震荡法实施的脑震荡教育（即疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的 Heads UP 文件）。通过对 35 个问题的正确回答总和来确定脑震荡知识得分。种族（白种人或非裔美国人）和有无运动训练师是所探讨的两个独立变量。
与非裔美国运动员相比，白人高中运动员的脑震荡知识更多（p<0.001）。非裔美国运动员比白人运动员更频繁地识别出所有正确的脑震荡症状和体征。与没有运动训练师的非裔美国运动员相比，有运动训练师的非裔美国运动员的知识更多（p=0.003）。
白人运动员的脑震荡知识多于非裔美国运动员；但是，在各自学校有运动训练师的非裔美国人更有可能识别出脑震荡的症状和体征，而没有运动训练师的非裔美国人则不然。这进一步强调了在高中体育中存在的健康差距，即运动训练师的存在及其对运动员健康和安全的影响。
