142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

296740
Post-concussion Care-seeking for Children Injured in Youth Sport: The Role of Parents' Knowledge and Attitudes

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014

Johna Register-Mihalik, PhD, LAT, ATC , Department of Exercise and Sport Science/Emergency Services Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill/WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC
Stephen W. Marshall, PhD , Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Laura Linnan, ScD, CHES , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Tamara Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC , Athletic Training Program, A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ
Jason Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC , Department of Exercise and Sport Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Richelle Mayfield, MS, ATC , Department of Kinesiology, University of Michagan, Ann Arbor, MI
Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC , Department of Exercise and Sport Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Background: Young athletes suffering from a concussion should be assessed by a trained health care provider. However, many concussions are never diagnosed because children and their parents do not seek care. We examined whether parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards concussion were associated with post-concussion care-seeking for their children.

Methods: A cohort of 214 youth sport parents [(63% female; parent age: 44.1(±6.5 yrs); child age: 11.6±(1.9 yrs)] completed a pre-validated concussion knowledge (max possible score=28), attitudes (max possible score=63) and care-seeking survey. Higher knowledge and attitude scores represented more favorable scores. Parents reported number of: diagnosed concussions, times their child displayed signs/symptoms of concussion following a head impact, and care-seeking behaviors following these events. The main outcome was care-seeking for all potential concussions (all-care group) vs. not (lower-care group). 

Results: Twenty-six percent (n=55) of parents reported that their child had ≥ 1 potential concussion. The majority of these parents (72%, n=40) did not follow-up with a medical provider after each event. Mean attitude score was 51.5(±1.6) in the all-care group and 48.1(±4.2) in the lower-care group. Mean knowledge score was 23.6(±2.5) in the all-care group and 23.6±(2.9) in the lower-care group. More favorable parental attitudes towards concussion were positively associated with care-seeking (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.8). Parents’ knowledge was not associated with better care-seeking (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.7, 1.3).

Conclusions: While concussion knowledge is undoubtedly important, parental attitudes were more important in predicting care-seeking. Future parental interventions should stress the importance of prompt care for all potential concussions.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate parent reports of medical care-seeking patterns for potential concussive injuries among youth athletes Describe the association between youth sport parents' knowledge, attitude and care-seeking patterns for their children following potential concussive injuries Discuss ways to promote better concussion care-seeking behaviors among parents of youth athletes

Keyword(s): Children and Adolescents, Pediatrics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have the the principal or co-principal investigator on multiple studies and funded grants focused on understanding concussion in young individuals. My scientific interest has focused on prevention and management of concussion and traumatic brain injury related to sport.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3306.0: Traumatic brain injury