Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Ronald Deluga
Keywords
Concussion; Awareness; Knowledge
Rights Management
CC-BY
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine concussion experiences, awareness and education through a literature review and study of Bryant students. The study assessed concussion awareness and experiences through a questionnaire sent out to club and division 1 athletes at Bryant through email and social media channels. The study yielded 98 responses, but after filtering out responses with insufficient information 62 usable responses remained. These responses consisted of 62% female and 34% male athletes on 13 different teams. Of the 62 participants, 34 (roughly half) reported being diagnosed with a concussion in their lifetime, and 18 athletes reported having more than one concussion. The athletes reported experiencing a variety of symptoms, with headache being the most prevalent, as all diagnosed athletes reported experiencing this symptom. Bryant athletes scored well on a CDC awareness quiz with an average score of a 98%. Overall, Bryant and other student athletes can use more education on distinguishing between concussions and more severe brain injuries that would require hospitalization, concussion diagnosing, and assessing situations in which concussions can occur. Though reporting behaviors are relatively good, more education may help improve decision making and safety for athletes. A majority of the athletes at Bryant scored well on the awareness quiz and felt relatively comfortable reporting their concussions to their coaches, but they also indicated that their teammates could benefit from more concussion education regardless. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that Bryant athletes, along with many other college athletes, could benefit from more concussion education.
