About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

A study from the National Academy of Sciences found that high school athletes who played football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, and baseball were more likely to experience concussions than college-aged players. This is especially disconcerting because the high school athlete’s brain is still in its developmental stages. High school athletes who suffer a concussion are vulnerable to more widespread and prolonged brain swelling and increased metabolic dysfunction following head injury compared to adults. Consequently, the changes may result in more severe and persistent symptoms (e.g., headaches, balance problems, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, reading and reading comprehension impairments) compared to adults.

Additional issues that could also contribute to protracted recovery from concussion include failure to recognize the symptoms of the injury, delayed reporting of symptoms, delayed access to medical care, and limited access to physicians and clinicians who specialize in sport concussion management.

Currently, research examining potential healthcare prevention and remedies of sport concussion among high school athletes is in its infancy. Further, there is limited research that examines the impact of economic disadvantaged markers on high school athletes’ access to concussion prevention materials and proper medical management.

What is the significance of this project?

Most state laws, including Louisiana, mandate concussion education among student-athletes but provide few guidelines or evaluation of such mandates. Few investigations of sports-related concussions have focused on the types of materials used and whether they have been effective in improvement of concussion management.

What are the goals of the project?

Many educational programs focus primarily on symptom identification. This project seeks to improve attitudes and beliefs among players, coaches, peers, and parents to promote better care-seeking behaviors among high school athletes in New Orleans as well as foster a supportive environment for the injured player.

We propose that successful concussion educational programs will include a curriculum that utilizes interactive modalities of presentation and is consistent with the health literacy of adolescents. Further, the success of the curriculum will also be dependent upon multiple aspects of a player’s environment. The educational workshops that we provide involve pre and post surveys to assess understanding of the materials presented as well as attitudes towards concussion injuries. We will also examine the effect of economic disadvantaged markers on the athletes’ and their community members’ comprehension of the materials presented.