Self-Reported Concussions Up for U.S. Teens From 2016 to 2020

FRIDAY, May 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Between 2016 and 2020, there was an increase in the estimated percentage of U.S. eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders who reported at least one diagnosed concussion during their lifetime, according to a research letter published online May 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Phil Veliz, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used data from eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-grade participants (52,949 students; 50.3 percent girls; 45.0 percent White) in the 2016 to 2020 Monitoring the Future to assess trends for self-reported concussion.

The researchers found that the lifetime prevalence of at least one self-reported concussion increased from 19.5 percent in 2016 to 24.6 percent in 2020 (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.05). The increases between 2016 and 2020 were significant for lifetime prevalence of only one self-reported concussion (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.05) and two or more self-reported concussions (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.05). Findings were consistent across sexes and race/ethnicity categories.

“Given greater effort to educate the U.S. population regarding the risks associated with head injuries, more adolescents may be seeking care for these injuries, including care from health care professionals outside the emergency department who have appropriate diagnosis and management skills,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text