Concussion education and lack of concussion history are linked with increased concussion reporting

This article was initially published in the 6/25/26 edition of our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

A recent study published in Neurotrauma Reports found that high school athletes who had previously completed concussion education were more likely to report a concussion than those who had not completed concussion education, and athletes with no history of concussion were more likely to report a concussion than those with a history of concussion. The study also found that athletes in men’s sports were less likely to report than those in women's sports. Concussion reporting behavior (particularly real-time reporting behavior) is difficult to study—most studies rely on past reporting or intent to report. However, in this study, researchers Niki Konstantinides et al. used a novel simulated game experience (Crash Course | Concussion Education) to study concussion reporting behavior in real time. Participants (21,213 high school athletes) watched a 12-minute, first-person video of a concussion occurring followed by a choice to either continue to play or report the concussion. Based on their findings, the authors recommend targeted education for male athletes and athletes with previous concussion history to decrease underreporting.