Public Attitudes and Knowledge About Youth Sports Participation and Concussion Risk in an Urban Area

Background: Every year, millions of children in the United States participate in youth full-contact sports, which carry concussion risks—the long-term sequelae of which are not well understood. We examined the attitudes and knowledge of adults in Chicago about youth sports participation, concussion risk, and whether physicians should counsel against youth participation in full-contact sports. Methods: An anonymous paper survey featuring 13 attitudinal, 13 demographic, and 9 knowledge questions was distributed to a convenience sample of adults ≥18 years in hospital waiting areas and four Chicago parks. Participants were asked to hypothetically consider themselves the parent of a 10-year-old child regarding attitudes towards full-contact sports participation. Results: Between June 13 and July 27, 2016, 1091 partial or complete valid surveys were collected. Almost half (46%) of respondents would not allow a hypothetical 10-year-old son to play tackle football. The majority (74%) of respondents agreed that it was appropriate for physicians to counsel against youth participation in full-contact sports. Respondents obtained information about concussions from, on average, 2–3 sources, although only 34% received information from physicians. Respondents demonstrated a high concussion knowledge level (average: 6.75 of 9 questions). However, only 39% of respondents correctly answered that the following statement was false: “After a mild concussion, there are usually visible changes on medical imaging”. Conclusions: Overall, respondents are well-informed about concussions. They are divided about the participation of youth in full-contact sports and are amenable to physician counseling against youth participation in full-contact sports.