Knowledge and Attitudes (KA) Surveys on Concussion in Sports: Parents September 2017 Survey. Third Report to Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)
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OVERVIEW This report is the third in a series presenting baseline Knowledge and Attitudes (KA) around concussion in sport. The first report (Reid et al., 2017) focused on referees’ and the second report focused on secondary school students’ knowledge and attitudes about concussion (Reid et al., 2018). This third report focuses on the parents of secondary school students and is termed the “Parents Survey September 2017 Survey”. The ‘Sports Concussion in New Zealand ACC National Guideline’ was released in 2014. The KA studies aim to assess current knowledge and attitudes of secondary school students involved in sports and referees and parents towards concussion in sport following release of the guideline. The results from the Parents September 2017 Survey suggest that the parents of school children involved in coached sports (69/100 = 69% response rate) have some knowledge regarding concussion and show positive attitudes towards correct management of the injury. However, parents expressed a need to know more about how concussion happens, and its prevention and management. The participants in this study have large gaps in their ability to recognise key symptoms and the safe time frame to return to play. Parents reported receiving most information on concussion from medical professionals and their school. Only a small percentage (13%) recognised ACC as source of information and guidance for concussion. Recommendations: • Further education of parents is required to increase understanding of some of the symptoms of sports concussion including amnesia, nausea and insomnia. Changes to simpler terms may be needed. • Further education of parents is needed with regards to the fact that onset of symptoms of concussion may not be evident immediately following injury and can emerge up to several days following injury. • Further education of parents is needed regarding the time frames to return to sport. • Further education of parents is required regarding the potential impacts of multiple concussions. • Further education of parents is required regarding avoiding the use of devices that may affect cognitive function after concussion. • Continuing education programmes for parents are required to ensure the current overall moderate levels of knowledge in the parent group improve.