Citation

Lowry R, Haarbauer-Krupa JK, Breiding MJ, Thigpen S, Rasberry CN, Lee SM. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2019; 57(6): 733-740.

Affiliation

School Health Branch, Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2019.08.016

PMID

31753255

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Sports and physical activities are a frequent cause of traumatic brain injury, primarily concussions, among adolescents. These concussions may adversely affect students' ability to learn and impair academic achievement in educational settings.

METHODS: The 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted among a nationally representative sample of 14,765 U.S. high school students, was analyzed in 2018 to examine associations between self-reported sports- and physical activity-related concussions and symptoms of cognitive impairment (difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions) and self-reported academic grades (mostly A's=4.0, mostly B's=3.0, mostly C's=2.0, mostly D's=1.0, mostly F's=0.0). Adjusted prevalence ratio and the difference in self-reported estimated grade point average were adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, grade, and athlete status (participation on sports teams) and considered statistically significant if p<0.05.

RESULTS: Male students were more likely than female students (17.1% vs 13.0%), and athletes were more likely than nonathletes (21.4% vs 7.6%) to have a self-reported sports- and physical activity-related concussion in the 12 months preceding the survey. Students with a reported sports- and physical activity-related concussion were more likely than students without one to report symptoms of cognitive impairment regardless of whether they were male (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.49), female (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.37), athletes (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.45), or nonathletes (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.42). Self-reported grade point averagedecreased significantly from 3.14 among students who reported no concussions (referent), to 3.04 among students who reported a single concussion, and 2.81 among students who reported ≥2 concussions.

CONCLUSIONS: School-based programs are needed to monitor students' academic performance and provide educational support and resources to promote academic success following a concussion.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en