Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Concussion in Western Province Rugby Union Senior Club Rugby Players

Kraak, Wilbur; Coetzee, Lize; Kruger, Anika; Stewart, R. S.; Vuuren, Hanno van

doi:10.1055/a-0959-2113

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The study from 2016 also found similar attitudes in surveyed coaches and medical professionals, indicating that this is not just a player issue and highlighting the importance of concussion education from rugby-governing bodies. Most negative attitudes toward concussion reporting were related to feeling a responsibility to play, especially in important matches, 22,28 and previous studies have indicated a culture of playing injured for a multitude of reasons, 16,29 similar to our findings. It should be noted that some surveys have reported sufficient knowledge of a concussion and its risks in certain groups, 28 but given the misconceptions that many athletes maintain about the concussion risk, athlete education remains an important method of management for this injury.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States

Miller

Stein

Moon

et al. 2021

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background: Rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the United States for male and female athletes. It is a contact/collision sport with an injury risk profile that includes concussions. Purpose: To examine the prevalence of concussions in male and female rugby players in the United States and to characterize behaviors around reporting concussions that could be a target for prevention and treatment efforts. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: An online survey distributed to active members on the USA Rugby membership list was used to examine self-reported concussions in male and female athletes. Concussion-reporting behaviors and return to play after a concussion were also explored. Statistical analysis was used to compare male with female athletes and report differences, with years of experience as a dependent variable. Results: The proportion of athletes with a history of at least 1 concussion was 61.9% in all respondents. Of those who reported a concussion, 50.8% reported the concussion during the game or practice in which it occurred, and 57.6% reported at least 1 concussion to a qualified medical provider. Overall, 27.7% of participants who reported ≥1 rugby-related concussion in our survey noted that at least 1 of these concussions was not formally reported. The most commonly cited reasons for not reporting a concussion included not thinking that it was a serious injury, not knowing that it was a concussion at the time, and not wanting to be pulled out of the game or practice. Additionally, 61.0% of athletes did not engage in recommended return-to-play protocols after their most recent rugby-related concussion. Conclusion: US rugby union athletes may not report concussions to medical personnel or follow return-to-play protocols guided by medical advice. This could result from a lack of education on concussion recognition and the risks associated with continued play after a concussion as well as limited access to health care. Further education efforts focusing on the identification of concussions, removal from play, and return-to-play protocols are necessary in the US rugby union population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States

Miller

Stein

Moon

et al. 2021

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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“…The current study found that approximately 80% of participants answered all CKI items correctly. This is (1) comparable to the findings from three prior US studies of physical education teachers, collegiate athletes and football coaches (eg, 82%27–29) and (2) higher than reported in studies of contact-sport athletes in the UK and South Africa (eg, 66%,19 67%,30 70%31); all of whom could be expected to be more knowledgeable about concussion than members of the general public. This could indicate that this study has a sample bias (eg, the volunteers were particularly interested in concussion).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Postconcussion discharge advice does not improve concussion knowledge in a community sample

2022

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ObjectivePoor concussion knowledge in the community has been linked to reduced injury identification. This study investigated if concussion knowledge could be improved by providing standard postinjury advice (written brochure).MethodsThis study was a prospective, controlled study, with random allocation of 199 Australian adults to receive either a concussion information (CI, n=101), or non-CI (n=98). All participants completed the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey on three occasions: pre-education and posteducation, and 1 week later.ResultsA 2 (condition) × 3 (occasion) mixed analysis of variance with concussion knowledge as the dependent variable did not find a statistically significant interaction (p>0.05). This result was unchanged: (1) with the covariate addition of background education and; (2) in a subgroup analysis (individuals with initially ‘low’ self-rated knowledge). Some key misconceptions about concussion were identified.ConclusionThe community knowledge of concussion was not significantly improved by the concussion advice. Since injury recognition relies ton an extent on community knowledge, the identified misconceptions should be addressed. This could occur via public health messaging. In clinical settings and for future research, the next steps should also include regular updating of concussion information to keep pace with advances in the field.

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“…This is consistent with previous research in which the recognized symptoms were also only two out of eight. 23 The other symptoms, which were often selected, were dizziness (86%), difficulty remembering (72%) and drowsiness (70%). Significant differences were found between the stakeholders for the following symptoms: difficulty speaking (p < 0.01), sensitivity to light (p = 0.01), difficulty remembering (p < 0.01), drowsiness (p < 0.01), feeling in a fog (p = .0.02), difficulty concentrating (p = 0.01) and dizziness (p = 0.01).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Kraak et al. 23 investigated the abovementioned population and found that players scored 67% for concussion knowledge and 62% for concussion attitude. Previous research indicated that 65 to 70% was deemed a moderate level of knowledge and attitude, whereas above 75% was considered sufficient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concussion knowledge and attitudes amongst community club rugby stakeholders

Vuuren

Welman

Kraak

2020

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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Due to the nature of rugby, concussions are a frequent occurrence and can go undetected by different stakeholders. Knowledge regarding identification of symptoms, management and prevention of re-injury is crucial for the welfare of players. The aim of the study was to determine the concussion knowledge and attitudes among different community club rugby stakeholders. The study gathered quantitative information by utilizing the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitude Survey-Student Version (RoCKAS-ST). Of all the participants (N = 434), medical staff (79 ± 10%) provided the highest Concussion Knowledge Index scores followed by referees (78 ± 8%) and players (67 ± 13%). The stakeholders scored 76% overall for Concussion Attitude Index. Across the scenarios the different participants believed to have safer attitudes compared to that of others within their team. Statistical differences were found between stakeholders when asked if concussion is less important than other injuries, as players, coaches and administrative staff all indicated an unsafe response in contrast to that of referees (p < 0.01). Players indicated an unsafe attitude towards returning to play, while symptomatic as a result of a concussion whereas coaches indicated a safer response (p < 0.01). Only two out of eight legitimate symptoms, headaches and dizziness, were correctly identified by 80% or more of participants, which warrants concern that identification of symptoms could be lacking on this level. Investigating the knowledge and attitudes of concussion at community club rugby level could identify which areas are to be further targeted by the South African Rugby Union.

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Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Concussion in Western Province Rugby Union Senior Club Rugby Players

Cited by 10 publications

References 15 publications

Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States

Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States

Postconcussion discharge advice does not improve concussion knowledge in a community sample

Concussion knowledge and attitudes amongst community club rugby stakeholders

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