scholarly journals It is time to rewrite state youth sports concussion laws

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e000959
Author(s):  
Jonathan Howland ◽  
Holly Hackman ◽  
Alcy Torres ◽  
Julia Campbell ◽  
Jonathan Olshaker

Between 2009 and 2014, all 50 states and the District of Columbia passed legislation to improve the recognition and management of youth concussed in sports. These laws can include requirements for concussion training for school athletic personnel, concussion education for children and their parents, return-to-play (RTP) procedures, and medical clearance to for RTP. Concussion can impact academic learning and performance in children and adolescents. Postconcussion academic accommodations during recovery can be an important component of secondary prevention for mitigating the sequalae of head injury. Few state youth concussion laws, however, include provision of postconcussion return-to-learn (RTL) accommodations and most of those that do address RTL apply to student athletes only. Concussions may occur in youth who are not participating in organised sports (eg, falls, traffic crashes) and thus may not be subjected to RTL accommodations, even if the state mandates such procedures for athletes. Low income and students of colour may be more likely to have non-sports concussions than their more affluent and white peers, thus potentially creating demographic disparities in the benefits of RTL procedures. State youth sports concussion laws should be revised so that they include RTL provisions that apply to all students, athletes and non-athletes alike.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Hackman ◽  
Jonathan Howland ◽  
Alyssa Taylor ◽  
Linda Brown ◽  
Mary Ann Gapinski ◽  
...  

Appropriate management by schools of all students with a concussion, regardless of the cause, has not received the same attention as sports-related concussions. Focus groups conducted with Massachusetts School Nurses in 2015 found that some had applied protocols required in the state’s sports concussion regulations to all students with concussion, not just student athletes. We surveyed high school nurses in Massachusetts to examine (1) the extent of this practice and (2) the extent to which protocols for all students with concussion are included in school policies. Of 168 (74%) responding, 94% applied the return-to-learn and play, and medical clearance requirements to all students with concussion, regardless of how or where the concussion occurred and 77% reported their school’s policy required these protocols for all students with concussion. A significant association (odds ratio: 13.3, 95% confidence interval [2.4, 72.8], p <.01) existed between the two measures. These findings have important clinical and academic implications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110322
Author(s):  
Jonathan Howland ◽  
Julia Campbell ◽  
Rebekah Thomas ◽  
Steven Smyth ◽  
Aynsley Chaneco ◽  
...  

Although all states have legislation pertaining to youth sports concussion, most of these laws focus on return-to-play procedures; only a few address return-to-learn (RTL) accommodations for students who have experienced a concussion. To address this gap in the legislation, some states and nongovernmental organizations have developed RTL guidelines to advise school personnel, parents, and health care providers on best practices for accommodating students' postconcussion reintegration into academic activity. In 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) developed RTL guidelines which were disseminated to school nurses (SNs) at all public and nonpublic middle and high schools in the state. In 2020, the MDPH engaged the Injury Prevention Center at Boston Medical Center to survey Massachusetts SNs to assess the usefulness of the guidelines. The response rate was 63%; 92% found the booklet extremely useful or moderately useful; and 70% endorsed that the booklet fostered collaboration among stakeholders.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-181
Author(s):  
Jeneita M. Bell ◽  
Christina L. Master ◽  
Michael R. Lionbarger

The recent passage of state youth sports concussion laws across the country introduces clinical implications for health care professionals caring for student-athletes. Although the laws were established to provide protections for student-athletes and prevent adverse outcomes, efforts aimed at implementation have uncovered various challenges in concussion diagnosis and management. Some of the most salient issues include medical evaluation, return to play, and return to learn. For this reason, health care professionals play a pivotal role in determining the critical next steps after a student is removed from play with a suspected concussion. Also, state laws may influence an influx of concussion patients to health care facilities and, thereby, present various unforeseen challenges that can be mitigated with adequate clinical preparation. This is key to helping student-athletes recover and resume regular activities in sports, recreation, and education. This review describes the various components of state youth sports concussion laws relevant to clinical practice and nuances that health care professionals should appreciate in this context. Additionally, concussion tools and strategies that can be used in clinical practice are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1932202X2110186
Author(s):  
Sarah Fierberg Phillips ◽  
Brett Lane

The U.S. economy requires a highly educated workforce, yet too few black, Latino, and low-income students attend, persist, and graduate from college. The present study examines the college outcomes of participants in a model Advanced Placement® (AP) intervention to shed light on its effectiveness and determine whether improving AP participation and performance is a promising strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes. Findings suggest the college outcomes of program participants are better than those of similar students statewide while also highlighting variation within and across subgroups. At the same time, they confirm that AP participation and performance predict college outcomes and suggest that improving AP participation and performance among low-income white, black, and Latino students could be a useful strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al Mamun ◽  
Syed Ali Fazal ◽  
Rajennd Muniady

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial skills, market orientation, sales orientations and networking on entrepreneurial competency and performance of micro-enterprises in Kelantan, Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a cross-sectional design, this paper collected data through structured interviews from 403 micro-entrepreneurs from “Majlis Amanah Rakyat,” Kelantan and “Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat,” Kelantan. Findings The findings reveal that entrepreneurial skills, market orientation and networking have a positive effect on entrepreneurial competency. Then, entrepreneurial competency, entrepreneurial skills and networking have a positive effect on enterprise performance. The findings show a significant mediation effect of entrepreneurial competency on the relationships between entrepreneurial skills, market orientation and networking and enterprise performance. Originality/value Addressing the understudied “human factor” in entrepreneurship, this paper extends the resource-based view and enriches the existing entrepreneurship literature in Malaysia. It provides useful insights into the improvement of micro-enterprise performance, which is crucial for promoting entrepreneurial activities and for enhancing socio-economic conditions among low-income households in Malaysia. Thus, the government and developmental organizations should focus on the development of entrepreneurial skills, market-oriented approach, networking traits and entrepreneurial competencies and subsequently encourage poor households to perform entrepreneurial activities.


Author(s):  
Eilish Mc Auliffe ◽  
Ogenna Manafa ◽  
Cameron Bowie ◽  
Lucy Makoae ◽  
Fresier Maseko ◽  
...  

It is now more than a decade since the acknowledgement of the health human resources crisis that exists in many low-income countries. During that decade much attention has focused on addressing the “pull” factors (e.g. developing voluntary international recruitment guidelines and bilateral agreements between recruiting and source countries) and on scaling up the supply of health professionals. Drawing on research conducted in two sub-Saharan African countries, we argue that a critical element in the human resources crisis is the poor working environments in these countries that not only continue to act as a strong “push” factor, but also impact on the motivation and performance of those who remain in their home countries. Unless attention is focused on improving work environments, the human resources crisis will continue in a vicious cycle leading to further decline in the health systems of low-income countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-609
Author(s):  
B Davis ◽  
K Creed ◽  
C Keshvnani ◽  
D Blueitt ◽  
C Garrison

Abstract Objective To evaluate academic accommodations offered to student athletes following a concussive injury. Method Participants were identified during regularly scheduled visits to the participating fellowship-trained, board-certified primary care sports medicine physician (D.B.). A total of 127 participants (mean ± SD age, 14.8 ± 1.5 years [range, 12–18 years]) diagnosed with a concussion from December 2018 to October 2019 were surveyed. The participants were provided a questionnaire in which the following information was collected: age at injury, date of injury, locations of treatment, cognitive symptoms experienced, academic accommodations received, implementation of accommodation by educators, and school related problems. Results Cognitive symptoms were reported by 117 (92.1%) participants with trouble concentrating (81.2%), and feeling “slow” (78.7%) being the most common. Participants treated at the participating, sports-medicine concussion center had the highest rate of receiving academic accommodations (95.3%), while those also treated at an emergency or acute care center, primary care physician, or pediatrician’s office had significantly lower rates (&lt;5%). Participants reported their accommodations as helpful (94.5%), with extra time (88.2%), and ability to take breaks (80.3%) having the highest frequency of recommendation. While symptomatic, 110 (86.6%) participants reported having difficulty completing school work and tests, 58 (45.7%) reported experiencing anxiety about completing their school work, and 55 (43.3%) reported a decline in their grades. Conclusions These data display the high frequency of cognitive symptoms and hindered academic performance associated with concussion recovery. The implementation of academic accommodations was demonstrated to be beneficial; however, not all medical centers are providing accommodations.


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