Litigation

Parents support concussion awareness and injury prevention programs despite low level of knowledge concerning the dangers of concussions

By Michael Kaplen

A recent poll released by C.S. Mott Children?s Hospital, Michigan,  found that only 8% of parents have ?read or heard a lot? about the risks of repeat concussions in school sports, while 36% of parents knew nothing about the topic.

Despite the low level of knowledge that parent?s have regarding concussions, the poll results also show that parents are clearly worried about concussions and brain injury and would support programs designed to improve concussion awareness and the safety of student athletes.

Nearly two-thirds of parents said they were ?worried? about concussions, with 18% indicating they were ?very worried.?

The poll, conducted in May 2010 in the United States, included 291 parents of athletes aged 12 to 17 years. The sample was weighted to reflect population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, according to a press release announcing the poll results.

Many schools have no concussion policy at all, according to the poll. For example, 84% of parents said schools should require athletes to be cleared by a doctor after a concussion, but only 36% could confirm if their child?s school had a specific policy on returning to games after a concussion.

Most parents also supported requiring coaches to receive information on concussion risks, and a mandatory period of nonparticipation following a concussion.

A total of 85% of parents believed a coach or certified trainer would handle a concussion properly, and 67% said certified trainers or other health professionals should be onsite during games and practices. Yet only 52% of parents confirmed a certified trainer was onsite during their kids? games, and only 38% said a trainer was present at practices, according to the poll.

Parents disagreed on how schools should pay for certified trainers: 43% indicated the general school budget, 28% said team fundraising or fees, 20% deferred to the state or federal government, and 9% said health professionals should volunteer their time.

You can read the full poll results by clicking here.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on July 01, 2010 (boomark / email).