FHI 360, a global nonprofit organization, and the YMCA of the USA propose to conduct an evaluation study of CDC's Heads Up Initiative in Youth Sports. Specifically, the FHI 360 study team will promote Heads Up materials designed for coaches of youth sports, parents, and youth athletes in local YMCA facilities across the country to assess changes in concussion prevention and treatment awareness knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. In addition, administrators of YMCA chapters will be interviewed to collect data on sports policies and practices, to assess any changes from the use of the materials. YMCA facilities will be randomized to receive promotion efforts and distribution of the materials, or a delayed promotion. Study subjects from the two groups of facilities will be compared. FHI 360 and the YMCA of the USA expect that this evaluation study will provide much needed information about how local youth sports leagues prevent and treat concussion, as well as how well Heads Up materials communicate needed information. The study also will provide actionable findings for the YMCA of the USA to use to further promote policies and practices for concussion prevention.
FHI 360 and the YMCA of the USA propose to conduct an evaluation study of CDC's Heads Up Initiative in Youth Sports. Specifically, the FHI 360 study team will study how Heads Up materials designed for coaches of youth sports, parents, and youth athletes used by YMCA facilities result in changes in concussion prevention and treatment awareness knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Given that an estimated 21.5 million American youth play sports each year, the findings will have a great public health impact on youth injury prevention.
