Youth Tackle Football: Perception and Reality.

Abstract

Recently there has been significant media attention on sports-related concussions, particularly in American football. The focus has been on the risk for long-term negative health outcomes from concussions and subconcussive head impacts that may be sustained while participating in contact sports, especially for young athletes whose brains are still developing.1 In this issue of Pediatrics , Chrisman et al2 present results of their study, “Parents’ Perspectives Regarding Age Restrictions for Tackling in Youth Football,” in which they surveyed a nationally representative sample of ∼1000 parents regarding their perception of concussion risk in youth tackle football and whether they would support age restrictions for tackling. Most parents (61%) would support such an age restriction, and those who are female, college-educated, or reported greater perceived risk for concussion had a higher odds of supporting an age restriction. The most notable finding of this study, however, is that most parents perceive concussion rates in tackle football to be substantially higher than they actually are. The best available and most current injury surveillance data for tackle football players reveal that ∼4 to 7 out of 100 high school players will suffer a concussion during a single season.3,4 For youth players, the incidence tends to be lower at 3 to 5 in 100.3,5,6 However, 83% of parents in this study perceive concussion incidence to be >10 out of 100 high school tackle football players, and 25% estimated it was >50 out of 100. This misperception about concussion risk in youth tackle football is likely due to the fact that most parents form their views on the basis of headlines and stories of former players in the media, rather than from published scientific data. The reality is that the concussion rate in youth tackle football is … Address correspondence to Cynthia LaBella, MD, Division of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 E Chicago Ave, Box 69, Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail: clabella{at}luriechildrens.org