Term of Award

Summer 2017

Degree Name

Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Health and Kinesiology

Committee Chair

Tamerah Hunt

Committee Member 1

Jody Langdon

Committee Member 2

Steve Patterson

Abstract

Context: Concussions are a serious injury that could result in both short and long-term consequences, particularly if not recognized and managed appropriately. Concussion education has been implemented, mostly as a result of Concussion legislation. Coach and athlete concussion education has been evaluated in the literature, however the literature is scarce on parental concussion education.

Purpose: To assess concussion knowledge and understanding in guardians of Georgia High School Association (GHSA) student-athletes that completed the GHSA concussion awareness form, in comparison to those that received additional concussion education.

Methods: This study utilized a prospective cross-sectional descriptive research design. Participants were GHSA guardians (n=102) that were recruited during athletic events throughout the Fall 2016 athletic season. Participants completed a 34 item paper-based survey. The survey included demographic questions, concussion knowledge questions, and scenario questions to assess concussion understanding. Participants were divided into groups based upon level of concussion education they had received. Independent-t tests were calculated to evaluate differences in concussion knowledge, understanding, and overall score. A Pearson correlation

examined the correlation between knowledge and understanding score. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 23.0. Significance levels were set a priori at p < 0.05.

Results: There was a response rate of 82%, with a sampling rate of 35%. Overall, the group that only completed the form had a mean knowledge score of 75% and mean understanding score of 82%, while the group that completed additional concussion education had a mean score of 79% for knowledge, and 84% for understanding. No statistically significant differences were found between groups on knowledge (t(100) =1.742, p=.085), understanding (t(100)=.833, p=.407), and total scores (t(100)=1.878, p=.063).The Pearson correlation revealed a non-significant weak correlation between concussion knowledge and understanding (r = .03; p = 0.76).

Conclusions: Guardians of high school student-athletes displayed a moderate knowledge and understanding of concussion. Knowledge transfer techniques, such as the Knowledge to Action framework, as well as learning strategies that are geared towards adult learners may benefit this population. A multifaceted approach to concussion education should be utilized in order to most effectively reach every guardian in order to meet their educational needs.

INDEX WORDS: Concussion, Education, Knowledge, Understanding, Guardians

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

Download

Share

COinS