Concussion Evaluation Patterns Among US Adults

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Head Trauma Rehabil
• Personal Author:
  Womack, Lindsay S. ; Daugherty, Jill ; Breiding, Matthew J.
• Description:
  Objective:
  
  The objective of this study was to compare individuals who were not evaluated by a doctor or nurse for a self-reported concussion versus individuals who were evaluated for a concussion by demographic variables, concussion history, and concussion circumstances.
  
  Settings and Participants:
  
  Data were collected from 2018 SpringStyles, a web-based panel survey of US adults 18 years or older (n = 6427), fielded in March-April.
  
  Design:
  
  Cross-sectional.
  
  Main Measures:
  
  Respondents were asked whether they believed they had sustained a concussion in their lifetime and details about their most recent concussion, including whether they were evaluated by a doctor or nurse.
  
  Results:
  
  Twenty-seven percent of adults in the survey reported a lifetime concussion (n = 1835). Among those individuals, 50.4% were not evaluated by a healthcare provider for their most recent concussion. Not being evaluated was higher among individuals whose concussion was caused by a slip, trip, or fall (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.65–2.99), riding a bicycle (APR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.58–3.27), being struck by or against something by accident (APR = 2.50; 95% CI, 1.88–3.34), or being struck by or against something during a fight or argument (APR = 2.89; 95% CI, 2.11–3.97), compared with individuals whose concussion was caused by a motor vehicle crash. No evaluation was also higher among individuals whose concussion occurred while engaging in a sports or recreational activity (APR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.07–1.82) or engaging in regular activities around the house (APR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.27–2.14), compared with individuals whose concussion occurred while working for pay.
  
  Conclusion:
  
  More than a quarter of adults reported a lifetime concussion; however, half of them were not evaluated for their last concussion by a healthcare provider. Examination by a healthcare professional for a suspected concussion may prevent or mitigate potential long-term sequelae. Furthermore, current US surveillance methods may underestimate the burden of TBI because many individuals do not seek evaluation.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Article Athletic Injuries Brain Concussion Concussion Cross-Sectional Studies Humans Injury Prevention Prevalence Self Report Survey Methodology Surveys And Questionnaires

  More +
• Source:
  J Head Trauma Rehabil. 37(5):303-310
• Pubmed ID:
  35125431
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC9339577
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  37
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:26d20c2d1067c8ff1eb91403da653864c6354309269610e3edddc9578ceb2e3e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/119848/cdc_119848_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 333.23 KB ]