Des Plaines-based Illinois Bone & Joint Surgery's Injury Awareness in Youth Sports survey found 66 percent of Chicagoland parents had never heard of a baseline brain health test, a benchmark for concussion evaluation.
The survey was conducted online by Radius Global Market Research on behalf of IBJI from Aug. 11-18. Around 300 parents of at least one child in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Chicago metropolitan area responded to the surgery.
Of the parents who had heard of the test, only 36 percent had a child who had ever taken a baseline test. Physicians recommend athletes to take the test every one to two years for comparison in case of a concussion.
The survey also found 72 percent of parents could not accurately identify the signs of a concussion when asked to choose from a list of symptoms. "Education is paramount and is the foundation of our practice," said IBJI sports neurologist Anthony Savino, MD. "Unfortunately, youth sports often do not have the resources that high schools or colleges do, including trained medical staff. As children begin training for sports more competitively and at a younger age, parents become a key part of the concussion recognition process. "This data shows that we can all do more for our athletes, to educate and be educated, as we move forward."