The Association Between School District-Based Policies Related to Concussions and Concussions Among High School Students.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the effectiveness of school district concussion policies on reducing the concussion prevalence among students.

METHODS

Data from the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study and 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 10 school districts were linked. The outcome variable was having a sports- or physical activity-related concussion during the 12 months before of the survey. Exposure variables were 2 district policies, including district-funded professional development and prioritizing return to the classroom before returning to athletics. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of a concussion among students in districts with one, both, or neither policy (referent).

RESULTS

In districts with district-funded professional development, the odds of students self-reporting ≥2 sports- or physical activity-related concussions were 1.4 times higher than in districts with neither policy. In districts with a policy prioritizing a return to the classroom before returning to athletics, the odds of students self-reporting ≥2 concussions were significantly lower (OR = 0.6) than in districts with neither policy.

CONCLUSION

School district concussion policies may have positive effects by identifying and reducing multiple concussions among students.