Risk, Responsibility, and Prevention in Injury Management: Implications of Concussion (mis)education on Youth Athlete Knowledge Uptake

Abstract

Concerns over the short- and long-term health implications of concussions has led to a surge in concussion education materials, resources, and modalities to educate youth athletes as a first line of defense in injury prevention. In this paper, we argue that this over-emphasis on concussion education–and a reliance on static, sensationalized, and culturally disconnected messaging–fails to consider the sociocultural implications of concussion education and the subsequent uptake and impact of this information by/on youth athletes. To do so, we present research involving semi-structured interviews with youth athletes in Ontario, Canada ( N = 28; aged 13-18-years-old) focused on understanding experiences with concussion knowledge and education. Through our analysis, we highlight three important domains related to athletes’ experiences with concussion education concerning (1) sufficient education, (2) scare tactics in education efforts, and (3) equity, access, and responsibility. By problematizing education as an effective mode of injury prevention, we draw attention to a gap within current sport-related concussion literature concerning knowledge uptake, education, and behaviour with the social and cultural realities of concussion experiences.