Katherine R Newsham
Concussions in high school athletics are increasingly studied as a public health issue. Little is known about sport-related concussion among Missouri high school student-athletes. This retrospective analysis of data reported through the Missouri State High School Activities Association aimed to describe trends in participation and clinical incidence of concussion and provide comparisons of similar sports. Over 10 years, 39,953 concussions were reported for 2.16 million participants; the number of concussions increased by 48% during this time. Boys reported twice as many concussions as girls, though when adjusted for participation, girls' sports are often higher than matched boys' sports in concussions per 100 player-seasons. This information should increase awareness and may inform policies moving forward.