Program

Physician Assistant M.S.

Year Approved

2015

First Advisor

Hanson, Christina

Abstract

This paper examines concussion education in high school athletes. Specifically, it examines how educationally beneficial a concussion presentation is for high school athletes. The study examined eighteen-year-old participants from two Minnesota high schools participating in Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) sanctioned spring sports. A presentation on concussion definitions, signs/symptoms, and adverse effects was presented to the participants. A pre and posttest questionnaire was used to evaluate participants’ baseline knowledge on concussion related topics and their knowledge gained after hearing the presentation. Data was analyzed via a comparison of the mean score differences using a paired t-test of within group differences of the pre and posttest scores. The findings from the data analysis demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in mean scores from pre to posttest. Specifically, over 80% of participants improved their scores from pre to posttest after listening to the concussion education presentation. The statistically significant findings of the data suggests that a concussion education presentation is educationally beneficial, as demonstrated by the improvement in answers to the multiple choice questions on the pretest and posttest across the sample size as a whole. While this research only scratches the surface of addressing the overall need and effectiveness of concussion education programs, it serves as a guide for further research into the extent of need and benefits of concussion education in high school athletes.

Degree Name

Masters of Science in Physician Assistant

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Included in

Primary Care Commons

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