Examining Youth American Football Coaches’ Knowledge of, and Attitudes Toward, Sport Concussions

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine youth American football coaches and their knowledge of, and attitudes toward, sport concussions. Coaches (n = 103) were recruited from a randomized sample of Pop Warner leagues within a large Western state to complete the Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey. Coaches ranged from 25–75 years of age and were coaching youth athletes ranging from 6–14 years of age. Coaches scored in the 80th percentile on concussion knowledge, and in the 85th percentile on concussion attitudes. However, coaches were lacking in some areas of concussion knowledge such as concussion symptomology. There was also a statistically significant positive correlation between coaches’ scores on the Concussion Knowledge Index and the Concussion Attitudes Index, r = .43, p < .01. The results of this research indicate that while youth sport coaches report basic knowledge of concussions, there remain gaps in their education. This highlights the need for research to review current coaching curriculum, observe actual coaching behaviors, and to determine best practices for teaching coaches.