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Racial Disparities in Concussion Knowledge and Symptom Recognition in American Adolescent Athletes

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Abstract

Background

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.

Methods

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.

Results

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).

Conclusions

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.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by grants from the Pentacost Foundation, Blue Cross Blue, Shield of Michigan Foundation, and Michigan State University Graduate School.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Youngstown State University, 1 University Plaza, 307L Beeghly Center, Youngstown, OH, 44512, USA

    Jessica Wallace

  2. Michigan State University, 105 IM Sports Circle, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Tracey Covassin

  3. North Dakota State University, Bentson/Bunker Fieldhouse, Room 1, Dept 2620, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58101, USA

    Ryan Moran

Authors
  1. Jessica Wallace
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  2. Tracey Covassin
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  3. Ryan Moran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jessica Wallace.

Ethics declarations

The authors have no conflict of interest to report. All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wallace, J., Covassin, T. & Moran, R. Racial Disparities in Concussion Knowledge and Symptom Recognition in American Adolescent Athletes. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 5, 221–228 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0361-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0361-1

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