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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jane Mitchko, MEd¹, Michele Huitric, MPH², Kelly Sarmiento, MPH¹, Richard Sawyer, PhD³, and Marcia Pruzan⁴. (1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Injury Response, 4770 Buford Hwy, NW, Mailstop F-41, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-1043, zlo5@cdc.gov, (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Unitentional Injury and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NW, Mailstop K63, Atlanta, GA 30341, (3) Academy for Educational Development, Senior Program and Evaluation Manager, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, (4) Academy for Educational Development, Health Marketing and Communications Consultant, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009

Background: High school athletes, who number approximately 7 million, are one of the largest groups of athletes at risk for concussion; still, minimal interventions exist to educate, prevent, and/or improve the management of concussion among these athletes. To address this unmet need, a multimedia educational concussion tool kit targeting high school coaches was developed and a comprehensive pilot assessment was conducted. Methods: Prior to the national launch, 1,000 pilot versions of the tool kit were disseminated to a random sample of high school athletic coaches from 17 different school sports, employed in five different states. Of these coaches, a random sample was contacted using a computer-assisted telephone survey a week following receipt of the tool kit. Results: Of the 497 coaches who completed the survey, the majority of coaches found tool kit materials to be useful for themselves, athletes, and parents, and 97% said they would recommend the tool kit to others. Additionally, 20% of coaches reported that their athletic department does not have a plan for addressing concussions that occur among their athletes; however, 96% of these coaches stated that tool kit materials could be used to develop one. Conclusion: Findings from the survey demonstrate that the information and resources in the tool kit are effective at targeting high school coaches across the United States and are likely to contribute to increased awareness and improved management of concussion among high school athletes.

Learning Objectives:

• • Describe an innovative and effective approach towards preventing and improving the management of concussions among adolescents.
• • Articulate the procedures for testing the appeal and usefulness of educational materials among a hard to reach audience.
• • Describe the impact of formative research on design and direction of a targeted intervention.

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury, Adolescents

Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Coaches_Tool_Kit.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered