PINK Concussions Research Publications
2016-2022
Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make these papers a reality.
2022 - Katherine Price Snedaker, Jennifer P. Lundine, Angela H. Ciccia, Mohammad Nadir Haider & Katy H. O’Brien Gaps in concussion management across school-aged children Brain Injury
Concussions across Grades K-12th - Elementary/Middle School students, particularly females or those not injured in school or sports, may be at risk for delayed identification and prolonged time to clearance. Differences observed in Elementary/Middle School students by demographic and injury factors are not observed in HS students. Future research should further characterize concussion management in E/MS children.
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2022 - Katherine Price Snedaker Letter to the Editor from Katherine Snedaker of Pink Concussions The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
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NIH State of the Art Paper
2021 - Valera, Eve M. PhD; Joseph, Annie-Lori C. BA; Snedaker, Katherine LCSW; Breiding, Matthew J. PhD; Robertson, Courtney L. MD; Colantonio, Angela PhD; Levin, Harvey PhD; Pugh, Mary Jo PhD; Yurgelun-Todd, Deborah PhD; Mannix, Rebekah MD, MPH; Bazarian, Jeffrey J. MD; Turtzo, L. Christine MD, PhD; Turkstra, Lyn S. PhD; Begg, Lisa DrPH; Cummings, Diana M. PhD; Bellgowan, Patrick S. F. PhD (2021), Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury in Females: A State-of-the-Art Summary and Future Directions, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
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2021 - Eric G. Post, Traci R. Snedden, Katherine Snedaker, Jason Bouton, David Wang (2021), Differences in Sport-Related Concussion History, Reporting Behavior, and Return to Learn and Sport Timelines in Public versus Private High School Student Athletes Brain Injury
Private school athletes were twice as likely to report a history of sport-related concussion compared to public school athletes, and for those who did not seek help for their concussions (22.4%) the most common reasons were wanting to keep playing sport, and not believing it was serious enough to report.
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2020 - Dana Waltzman, Jill Daugherty, Katherine Snedaker, Jason Bouton & David Wang (2020): Concussion reporting, return to learn, and return to play experiences in a sample of private preparatory high school students Brain Injury
Private school students frequently did not report concussions, the primary reasons being that they wanted to continue playing their sport, and that they did not think the injury was serious. Being female and being an older student were risk factors for taking longer to return to school and sports, and a quarter of concussed students pretended to feel better than they actually did in order to return to school and sports more quickly.
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2020 - Daugherty, J., Waltzman, D., Snedaker, K.P., Bouton, J., Zhang, X. and Wang, D. (2020), Concussion Experiences in New England Private Preparatory High School Students Who Played Sports or Recreational Activities Journal of School Health
33% of private school students who played sport reported a lifetime concussion. Risk factors for reporting a concussion included being male, playing contact sports, and playing multiple seasons of school sports.
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2016 - Sanderson, Jimmy, Melinda Weathers, Katherine Snedaker, and Kelly Gramlich (2016), “I Was Able to Still Do My Job on the Field and Keep Playing” An Investigation of Female and Male Athletes’ Experiences With (Not) Reporting Concussions" Communication & Sport
79% of male athletes were more likely to play on and not report a concussion than female athletes, and reasons for not reporting concussions included a perceived lack of resources, perceived low severity, and conformance to sport cultural norms. But 70% of women failed to report as concussion and while less than the males, this number is important to address.
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News Release
PINK Concussions
For immediate release
Contact: Katherine Snedaker Katherine@PINKconcussions.org 203-984-0860
Private School Students Reported Experiencing More Concussions than Public Students in PINK Concussions Study
NORWALK, Conn., June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new study of 2,047 New England private high school students-athletes published in the Journal of School Health, 33% of students self-reported experiencing a concussion in their lifetime. This study is significant as most of the surveillance information about concussions has been conducted with samples of public school students. In a 2018 national study, 15% of high school students reported having at least one sport- or recreation-related concussion in the past 12 months.1
Private schools focus on sports participation as part of the curriculum but at what cost? Are the higher rates of concussion reported by students due to the expectation to play, the different sports they play or the presence of athletic trainers?
Private schools focus on sports participation as part of the curriculum but at what cost? Are the higher rates of concussion reported by students due to the expectation to play, the different sports they play or the presence of athletic trainers?
Similar to findings in public school studies, the students in this study who were at risk of an increased incidence of concussion included males, students playing contact sports, and those participating in multiple sports seasons.
However, the private schools in this study mandated all students participate in a sport or athletic activity. Although there are many benefits to sports participation, this universal policy for all students could also potentially increase exposure to injury and concussion.
Additionally, all schools in this study had at least one or more full-time certified athletic trainer on staff. Studies have suggested the presence of athletic trainers can specifically increase concussion reporting among students.2,3 A large study of public and private high schools found that only 35% of schools have full-time athletic training services and an additional 30% of schools have only part-time services.4
And finally, the composition of sports and requirement for sports participation in this study is likely not representative of public high schools. For example, private schools often offer a variety of athletic options (e.g., hockey, crew, sailing, squash) not typically found in public schools. In this study, football, the most commonly played sport among high school boys, was not even ranked in the top 10 for the primary sport played among student athletes in this sample.5
More research is warranted to assess the risk and prevalence of concussion among adolescents in different school settings to provide evidence-based concussion prevention strategies and management information.
See References Below
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This article, "Concussion experiences in a sample of New England private preparatory high school students who played sports or recreational activities" by Daugherty J, Waltzman, D, Snedaker KP, Bouton J, Zhang X, Wang D, was published online ahead of print issue June 10, 2020.
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The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ABOUT PINK Concussions
PINK Concussions is a non-profit organization to focus on pre-injury education and post-injury medical care for women and girls with concussions from sport, domestic violence, accidents or military service. Its mission is to drive change and innovation to develop and implement sex-specific/gender-responsive, evidence-based strategies for the identification, management and support of women and girls with brain injuries. More info on this study can be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Contact Katherine Snedaker Katherine@PINKconcussions.org 203-984-0860
References
1. Depadilla L, Miller GF, Jones SE, Peterson AB, Breiding MJ. Self-reported concussions from playing a sport or being physically active among high school students—United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018;67(24):682-685.
2. Shendell DG, Gonzalez L, Listwan TA, Pancella J, Blackborow M,Boyd J. Developing and piloting a school-based online adolescent student-athlete concussion surveillance system. J Sch Health. 2019;89(7):527-535.
3. McGuine TA, Pfaller AY, Post EG, Hetzel SJ, Brooks A, Broglio SP. The influence of athletic trainers on the incidence and management of concussions in high school athletes. J Athl Train. 2018;53(11):1017-1024.
4. Huggins RA, Attanasio SM, Endres BD, Coleman KA, Casa DJ. Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) Project First Annual Report. Storrs, CT: The Korey Stringer Institute at The University of Connecticut; 2018. Available at: https://ksi.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1222/2018/09/ATLAS-2018-Report-Final.pdf. Accessed September 3, 2019.
5. National Federation of State High School Associations. High school participation increases for 29th consecutive year. 2019. Available at: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/high-school-sportsparticipation- increases-for-29th-consecutive-year/. Accessed February 25, 2019.