Use of a Sport-Related Concussion Information Sources Among Parents of United States Middle School Children

Authors

Zachary Y. Kerr, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFollow
Avinash Chandran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aliza K. Nedimyer, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFollow
Allison E. Rothschild, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Melissa C. Kay, University of Southern MissisisppiFollow
Paula Gildner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
K. Hunter Byrd, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Juliet K. Haarbauer-Krupa, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Johna K. Register-Mihalik, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-14-2020

School

Health Professions

Abstract

Objective: Parents may use various information sources to obtain information about sport-related concussions (SRC). This study examined SRC-related information sources used by parents of United States middle school children (aged ∼10-15 years).

Methods: A panel of 1083 randomly selected U.S. residents, aged ≥18 years and identifying as parents of middle school children, completed an online questionnaire capturing parental and child characteristics, and utilization and perceived trustworthiness of various sources of SRC-related information. Multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with utilizing each source. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) excluding 1.00 were deemed significant.

Results: Doctors/healthcare providers (49.9%) and other healthcare-related resources (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WebMD) (37.8%) were common SRC-related information sources; 64.0% of parents utilized ≥1 of these sources. Both sources were considered "very" or "extremely" trustworthy for SRC-related information among parents using these sources (doctors/healthcare providers: 89.8%; other healthcare-related resources: 70.9%). A 10-year increase in parental age was associated with higher odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers (adjusted odd ratio (OR_adjusted) = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02-1.16) and other healthcare-related resources (OR_adjusted = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.03-1.19). The odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers (OR_adjusted = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.40-0.84) and other healthcare-related resources (OR_adjusted = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.44-0.93) were lower among parents whose middle school children had concussion histories versus the parents of children who did not have concussion histories.

Conclusion: One-third of parents did not report using doctors/healthcare providers or other healthcare-related resources for SRC-related information. Factors associated with underutilization of these sources may be targets for future intervention. Continuing education for healthcare providers and educational opportunities for parents should highlight accurate and up-to-date SRC-related information.

Comments

Published by Journal of Sport and Health Science at 10.1016/j.jshs.2020.04.008.

Publication Title

Journal of Sport and Health Science

Recommended Citation

Kerr, Z. Y., Chandran, A., Nedimyer, A. K., Rothschild, A. E., Kay, M. C., Gildner, P., Byrd, K., Haarbauer-Krupa, J. K., Register-Mihalik, J. K. (2020). Use of a Sport-Related Concussion Information Sources Among Parents of United States Middle School Children. Journal of Sport and Health Science.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/17484