ABSTRACT
Forty parents of youth soccer players of ages 5–17 years, in Sicily, Italy completed a survey measuring knowledge of concussion symptoms and facts. Parents averaged 16 out of 23 correct responses (69.5%) on the survey, with no significant correlation between parental age and education and knowledge. Italian parents were more familiar with somatic symptoms (92.5%-100% correct) than emotional/behavioral (27.5%-57.5% correct) and sleep symptoms (45.0%). Comparisons to U.S. and Australian research showed general agreement on knowledge of concussion symptoms, but less awareness of other concussion facts among Italian parents. More research on cross-cultural concussion education and barriers to concussion resources is warranted.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Claudio Lupo and Virgilio Scolaro for their assistance in this research.
Disclosures
Dr. Moser is the owner and director of the Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey. Dr. Schatz serves as a consultant to ImPACT Applications, Inc.