One of the best ways to avoid a concussion is to stay clear of activities where you may hit hour head. That seems to be the opinion of a quarter of parents, who said they will not let their kids play in football due to concerns over concussions, according to a recent Truven Health Analytics and NPR Health Poll.
About 25 percent of households with children believe the best course of action is to keep their kids on the sidelines. Football is not the only sport that parents are steering their kids away from. Thirty-four percent of respondents intend to keep their kids from playing hockey. Only three and four percent of respondents will keep their kids from playing basketball and soccer, respectively.
Parents believe an improvement is needed in equipment in order to allow football to continue at a high school level, say 40 percent of respondents. Seven percent of respondents believe the risks associated with football are too great and the sport should no longer be sanctioned as a high school activity. Though some parents, one in 10, say they are unaware of risks associated with concussions.
“Awareness of the long-term risks of head injury is still fairly low,” said Michael Taylor, MD, chief medical officer at Truven Health Analytics. “We know repeated minor concussions can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), but we don’t understand exactly how much trauma can lead to CTE. Minor head injury is a risk in many contact sports, particularly football, hockey, and boxing, and more research on head protection is needed.