Journal article
Do rugby league players under-report concussion symptoms? A cross-sectional study of elite teams based in Australia
Thomas Longworth, Andrew McDonald, Corey Cunningham, Hussain Khan, Jane Fitzpatrick
BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine | BMJ | Published : 2021
Abstract
Objective: To determine the rate of under-reporting of concussion and its symptoms in elite rugby league players in Australia. Methods: The study was conducted in the preseason of the 2020 National Rugby League (NRL) competition. A total of 151 male, NRL club contracted rugby league players across three professional clubs participated. The participants completed a voluntary, anonymous survey exploring player demographics, concussion data, under-reporting instances and reasons for under-reporting over the 2018 and 2019 rugby league seasons. Results: 17.2% of surveyed players reported sustaining a likely concussion over the past 2 years and not reporting to medical staff. 22% of NRL first ..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by Australian Institute of Sport Ethics Committee
Funding Acknowledgements
This project had ethics approval granted on 12 November 2019 by the Australian Institute of Sport Ethics Committee (project number: 20191105). The project was endorsed by The Rugby League Research Committee.