Abstract
Coach and parent concussion education programs are essential for the prevention, diagnosis, management, and return to play of youth athletes. This systematic review examined the content and efficacy (changes in knowledge, impact on concussion incidence) of concussion education programs for coaches and parents of youth and high school athletes. Six databases were searched: SPORTDiscus, Academic Search Premiere, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Studies evaluated the use and/or efficacy of concussion education programs among coaches or parents of youth athletes. A total of 13 articles (out of 1553 articles) met selection criteria. Although different concussion education programs exist, only three have been evaluated in the literature: ACTive Athletic Concussion Training™, USA Football’s Heads Up Football, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s HEADS UP. These programs are well liked among coaches and parents and the suggested practices are easily implemented by coaches. These programs increased concussion knowledge among coaches and parents and promoted behavioral changes among coaches to reduce the concussion risk in high school sports. Few studies have assessed the efficacy of concussion education programs on youth athlete health outcomes. No studies included a longitudinal follow up to determine the degree of knowledge retention following the intervention. While online educational programs are sufficient to improve coach knowledge, in-person training may be a more effective educational tool for reducing the incidence of youth sport concussion. Future studies addressing the efficacy of concussion education programs should include a longitudinal follow up to assess knowledge retention and fidelity.
Highlights
Sport-related concussions affect an estimated 300,000 children and adolescents in the U.S.annually [1], prompting the rise in research and programs aimed at reducing the incidence rates
The results are organized by program: ACTive Athletic Concussion TrainingTM [18], the CDC HEADS UP [19], and USA Football’s
Though many concussion education programs exist, only three programs have been evaluated in the literature: ACTive Athletic Concussion TrainingTM [18], USA Football’s Heads Up Football [20], and the Center for Disease Control’s HEADS UP [19]
Summary
Sport-related concussions affect an estimated 300,000 children and adolescents in the U.S. annually [1], prompting the rise in research and programs aimed at reducing the incidence rates. Coach education on youth sport concussion (e.g., Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s HEADS UP (CDC HEADS UP), Parachute (formerly ThinkFirst Canada)) provides information regarding general concussion knowledge, recognition of signs and symptoms, and management/treatment. The delivery method and specific content differ between programs. The focus of this systematic review is to critically evaluate the content and efficacy of existing programs on coach and parent knowledge to identify the knowledge gaps to guide future program development and research. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 2665; doi:10.3390/ijerph17082665 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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