Differences Between the Sexes in Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes in Community Football (Soccer) Players in New Zealand
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Journal Article
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Elsevier BV
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate self-reported concussion knowledge and attitudes in community football players in New Zealand, comparisons were made between the sexes and those with and without history of concussion. Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: The Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (RoCKAS) was used for data collection and analysis. Players were recruited through the New Zealand Football registered player database. Results: Seventy-four players had data eligible for inclusion (55 % female). Thirty-four players (45 %) had previously diagnosed concussion (56 % female). Mean Concussion Knowledge Index (CKI) scores were significantly (p = 0.002) higher for male (20.8 ± 1.4) than female (19 ± 3.7) players. There were no significant sex differences in mean Concussion Attitude Index (CAI) scores (female 63.7 ± 11.4, male 65.6 ± 6.0; p = 0.427). Surprisingly, 32 % female and 39 % male players indicated that they would play on with symptoms of concussion. Comparison within female players showed a significantly higher CKI (20.3 ± 1.7 versus 18.8 ± 2.6; p = 0.025) and higher CAI (66.5 ± 4.9 versus 64.1 ± 5.9; p = 0.151) in players with a history of concussion. There were no within male player trends for CKI or CAI. Conclusions: Male players had a notably higher concussion knowledge (CKI) than female players. Females with a previously diagnosed concussion also had a notably higher CKI than female players with no concussion history. Therefore, healthcare professionals could play a key education role when managing players with concussion. Given over a third of players indicated that they would play on with symptoms of concussion, education should focus on short- and long-term impacts of concussion and potential consequences of concussion.Description
Keywords
Athletic injury, Behaviour, Brain injury, Cognition, Exercise, 42 Health Sciences, 4207 Sports Science and Exercise, Brain Disorders, Traumatic Head and Spine Injury, Neurosciences, Women's Health, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Physical Injury - Accidents and Adverse Effects, 4 Quality Education, 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 1116 Medical Physiology, 1117 Public Health and Health Services, Sport Sciences, 3202 Clinical sciences, 4207 Sports science and exercise, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
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Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, ISSN: 1440-2440 (Print); 1878-1861 (Online), Elsevier BV, 28(7), 528-534. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2025.02.005
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© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia. Creative Commons. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article.