Sports Related Head Injuries: Knowledge and Experience of Diverse Adolescents and Young Adults
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects millions of people in the United States annually. Adolescents and young adults as well as individuals from underrepresented groups are at highest risk for TBI, with a primary cause being sports related head injuries. To determine what adolescents and young adults from diverse backgrounds know about sports related head injuries, a 20-item survey was developed and administered. A total of 54 students representing African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, biracial and multiracial groups responded to the survey. Results of the survey show that 11% of the sample had not heard of the three different terms related to a traumatic blow to the head, traumatic brain injury, head injury or brain injury. In addition, 24% of the sample reported that they have had a head injury; of this total, 30% also reported that they have had a concussion as a result of participation in a sports activity. Results of the survey suggest that there is a need to sample a larger group of diverse students and to develop culturally sensitive preventive programs on sports related head injuries.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Communication Disorders
Research Advisor:
Adele Proctor
Department of Research Advisor:
Speech and Hearing Science
Year of Publication:
2005