Child- compared with parent-report ratings on psychosocial measures following a mild traumatic brain injury among youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms.

Primary Objective: To compare child- and parent-report ratings on the Health Behavior Inventory, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Short Version (anxiety subscale), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM among children with persistent post-concussive symptoms following a sports- or recreation-related concussion, overall and by child age and gender.Research Design: Cross-sectional study examining baseline data from a randomized, comparative effectiveness trial.Methods and Procedures: Inter-rater reliability was assessed using two-way random effects model (absolute agreement) intraclass correlations, correlations were examined using Spearman's rho, mean differences were determined using paired t-tests, and agreement was examined using Bland-Altman plots.Main Outcomes and Results: The final analytic sample was 200 parent-child dyads [child Mage = 14.7 (95% CI: 14.5, 15.0)]. Reliability and correlations were modest overall. When considering child age and gender, reliability ranged from poor to excellent (-1.01-0.95) and correlations ranged from weak to strong (-0.64-0.94). Overall, children reported more symptoms but better functioning than parents, and mean differences in scores were greater among females (versus males) and ages 16-18 (versus younger groups).Conclusions: Findings should inform the use and interpretation of psychosocial measures when developing appropriate youth concussion treatment plans.

Association between community socioeconomic characteristics and access to youth flag football.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that opportunities for non-tackling American football (e.g., flag football) be expanded, given concerns about the risks of brain trauma from tackle football. This study tested the hypothesis that flag football would be more accessible in communities characterised by higher socioeconomic status residents. METHODS: In July 2017, the locations of community-based organisations offering youth flag and tackle football for youth between the ages of 6 and 13 in two US states (Georgia and Washington) were aggregated (n=440). Organisations were coded in terms of the availability of tackle and/or flag football teams for youth at each year of age between 6 and 13. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the odds of a community-based football organisation offering flag football, by community socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: In both states, communities with more educated residents were more likely to offer flag football for youth aged 6-12. For example, among 6 year-olds every 10% increase in the number of adult residents with a college education was associated with 1.51 times the odds of flag football availability (95% CI 1.22 to 1.86, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that youth living in communities characterised by low educational attainment are less likely than other youth to have the option of a lower contact alternative to tackle football. Relying on voluntary community-level adoption of lower contact alternatives to tackle football may result in inequitable access to such sport options. This may contribute to an inequitable burden of brain trauma from youth sport.

Summary of the 2015 University of Michigan Sport Concussion Summit.

Discussions surrounding concussion have made their way into the public sphere over the previous decade with media attention and coverage of the injury fueling public debate. These conversations have devolved into discussions on banning contact and collision sports and raised legal questions surrounding injury management. Questions raised about concussion eclipse what science can answer, but the University of Michigan Injury Center (MI, USA) hosted a Concussion Summit in September 2015 as a means to condense, solidify and disseminate what is currently known on the topic. Areas for discussion included concussion incidence and prevention, diagnosis and management, legislation and education, legal and social aspects and future directions. A summary of those presentations are included within.