Concussion legislation has established education as the cornerstone of prevention. Georgia legislation requires guardian completion and acknowledgement of concussion education via a standardized concussion information sheet. However, the effectiveness of this standardized form has not been examined.

PURPOSE: Examine the knowledge and understanding in guardians of Georgia High School Association (GHSA) student-athletes that completed the GHSA concussion awareness form versus additional concussion education.

METHODS: 102 GHSA guardians completed a 34 item paper-based survey that included demographic questions, concussion knowledge questions, and scenario questions to assess concussion understanding. Participants were divided into groups based upon concussion education (GHSA form only: n=54; Additional education: n=48). Independent sample t-tests were calculated to evaluate differences in concussion knowledge, understanding, and overall score. A Pearson correlation examined the correlation between knowledge and understanding score. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 23.0. Significance levels were set a priori at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between groups on knowledge (t(100) =1.74, p=.085), understanding (t(100)=.83, p=.41), and total scores (t(100)=1.88, p=.06).The Pearson correlation revealed a non-significant weak correlation between concussion knowledge and understanding (r = .03; p = .76).

CONCLUSIONS: Guardians of high school student- athletes displayed moderate knowledge and understanding of concussion regardless of additional educational experiences. Despite a clinicians’ desire for more comprehensive educational tools, the results of this study indicate that the state issued standardized form provides guardians with sufficient knowledge. This knowledge and understanding will help guardians in the recognition and management of a student-athlete with a concussion. Further, a multifaceted approach to concussion education could be utilized in order to most effectively reach every guardian regardless of education level.