The University of Alabama, Department of Health Science, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, United States.
Youngstown State University, Department of Kinesiology & Sport Science, Youngstown, OH 44555, United States.
J Safety Res. 2020 Dec;75:166-172. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2020.09.007. Epub 2020 Oct 8.
Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can be sustained through participation in different sports. It is important that a parent be able to identify common and uncommon symptoms of a concussion to ensure the safety and good health of their child. The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge of concussion scores among White and African American parents and guardians.
This cross-sectional study consisted of a single survey of 53 questions that was given to parents/guardians of high school athletes at a preseason parent meeting. Parent and guardian knowledge of concussion was assessed through a series of 45 questions. Participants were asked to correctly identify signs and symptoms of concussion, answer questions regarding the anatomy of a concussion (i.e. a concussion is an injury to the brain), answer true/false questions about general concussion knowledge, select from a list the consequences of multiple concussions and select from a list the consequences of returning to play too soon from a concussion. Knowledge of concussion was calculated by summing correct responses for the 45 knowledge questions. Racial differences were calculated using an ANCOVA, controlling for socioeconomic school type. The statistical significance level was set a priori p ≤ 0.05 for all analyses.
Participants of this study consisted of 176 [115 (65.3%) White, 61 (34.7%) African American] parents/guardians of high school athletes. Significant differences in knowledge of concussion scores between White parents/guardians [38.50 ± 4.55 (85.6% correct)], and African American parents/guardians [35.15 ± 4.97, 78.1% correct)] were identified (F = 4.82, p = 0.03).
Knowledge of concussion disparities exist between African American and White parents/guardians. This disparity could cause complications from concussion to surface among children and adolescents participating in sport as their parents/guardians may not be able to correctly identify the signs and symptoms in order to seek proper medical care. Practical Application: Findings from this study highlight quantitative differences in concussion knowledge of parents from different demographics. These findings underline disparities and inequities in access to concussion-health resources that need to be addressed.
脑震荡是一种创伤性脑损伤，可以通过参与不同的运动而导致。家长能够识别脑震荡的常见和不常见症状非常重要，这样才能确保孩子的安全和健康。本研究的目的是比较白人和非裔美国父母对脑震荡知识的了解程度。
这是一项横断面研究，由对高中运动员的赛前家长会议上进行的单次调查组成，共包含 53 个问题。通过一系列 45 个问题来评估家长和监护人对脑震荡的了解程度。参与者被要求正确识别脑震荡的迹象和症状，回答有关脑震荡解剖结构的问题（即脑震荡是大脑受伤），回答有关一般脑震荡知识的真假问题，从列表中选择多次脑震荡的后果，并从列表中选择从脑震荡中及早返回比赛的后果。通过对 45 个知识问题的正确答案进行求和来计算脑震荡的知识。使用协方差分析（ANCOVA）计算种族差异，控制社会经济学校类型。所有分析的统计显著性水平均设为预先设定的 p 值≤0.05。
本研究的参与者包括 176 名[115 名（65.3%白人），61 名（34.7%非裔美国人）]高中运动员的父母/监护人。白人父母/监护人[38.50±4.55（85.6%正确）]和非裔美国父母/监护人[35.15±4.97，78.1%正确]的脑震荡知识得分存在显著差异（F=4.82，p=0.03）。
非裔美国人和白人父母/监护人之间存在脑震荡知识的差异。这种差异可能导致参加运动的儿童和青少年出现脑震荡并发症，因为他们的父母/监护人可能无法正确识别症状，无法寻求适当的医疗护理。实际应用：本研究的结果强调了来自不同人群的父母对脑震荡知识的定量差异。这些发现突显了在获得脑震荡健康资源方面的差异和不平等，需要加以解决。
