To Play or Not to Play Youth Tackle Football: Health- and League-Related Factors in Parents’ Decision Making

This study examined parental decision-making factors regarding their child’s participation in tackle (TF) versus non-tackle (NTF) youth football leagues (YFLs, n = 91). The study also aimed to determine if these variables differed between parents who allowed their child to participate in TF and those who only allowed their child to participate in NTF. This study was of cross-sectional survey design and included items on parent demographics, child demographics, and factors influencing parent decision-making, divided into two groups: health- and league-related factors. The survey was piloted, housed, and created in a web-based platform. YFL parents rated decision-making factors on a 6-point scale. Descriptive statistics were run for all demographic variables, and non-parametric test were utilized to compare responses between groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare TF versus NTF, parent sex, parent concussion history, and child’s concussion history. The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to compare parent sport history. Female parents (n = 61) rated injury risk and concussion risk higher than male parents (n = 30). Parents who did not play a sport (n = 14) rated CTE higher than parents who played football (n = 13), another sport (n = 46), or football plus another sport (n = 18). The NTF parents (n = 10) rated injury risk, concussion risk, and CTE risk higher than TF (n = 81), while TF parents rated coach’s level of training, league success, and league safety higher than NTF. This study provides insights into parents’ decision-making processes and may help YFL programs tailor their approach to address these concerns and provide a safer environment for children participating in YFL.