Knowledge and attitudes towards sport related concussions among university students in Iceland

Abstract

Heilahristingar í íþróttum hafa fengið aukna athygli á síðustu árum. Íþróttafólk í öllum íþróttum getur fengið heilahristing, það gerist reglulega og um helmingur heilahristinga eru ekki tilkynntir. Það er mikilvægt að vita hvar almenningur stendur varðandi þekkingu og viðhorf til heilahristings. Íþrótta áhorfendur, fréttamiðlar og foreldrar barna í íþróttum teljast öll til almennings. Þau geta haft áhrif á íþróttafólk sem fær heilahristing með sínum viðbrögðum og hegðun. Núverandi rannsókn skoðar þekkingu og viðhorf nema í Háskólanum í Reykjavík gagnvart heilahristingum í íþróttum. Til að mæla þekkingu og viðhorf þátttakenda var notast við aðlagaðan og þýddan Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Student Version (RoCKAS-ST). 252 háskólanemar tóku þátt í þessari rannsókn. Niðurstöður benda til þess að fræðsla um heilahristing stuðli að betri þekkingu á heilahristing í íþróttum. Lykilorð: heilahristingur í íþróttum, fræðsla um heilahristing, þekking á heilahristingi, viðhorf gagnvart heilahristingi, íþróttafólk, háskólanemar

Sport related concussions have received more attention recently. Athletes in all sports can suffer a concussion, they happen frequently and half of them are not reported. It is important to know where the public stands regarding their knowledge of concussions and their attitudes towards the matter. The general population can be sport audience, media or parents of children who play sports. Those people can affect athletes who suffer a concussion with their reaction and behaviour. This study explores knowledge and attitudes of university students in Iceland towards sport related concussions. Translated and adjusted Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Student Version (RoCKAS-ST) was used to examine participants knowledge and attitudes towards concussion. Participants in this study were 252 Reykjavik University students. The results of the study indicated that education of concussion increases knowledge of sport related concussions. Keywords: sport related concussion, education about concussion, knowledge of concussion, attitudes towards concussion, athletes, university students