Improving Practice, Training Coaches, and Helping Prevent Concussions Through Effective, Engaging, Online Learning

Background:  Annually, over 50 million American youth play an organized sport. Each year, athletes between 5 and 18 years old account for 65 percent of all sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries—including concussions—treated in US emergency departments. Given these statistics, coaches play an important role in preventing and recognizing when an athlete could be injured.  Yet, only 61 percent of youth coaches could correctly identify the signs and symptoms of a concussion. To help address this issue, between 2009 and 2012, 43 states and the District of Columbia passed laws on concussions in sports for youth and/or high school athletes (often called Return to Play laws). Many of these laws require coaches to receive education about concussion.

Program background:  To help states meet the requirements of educating coaches on concussion prevention, recognition, and response, CDC created the Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports Online Training Course. Combining the latest science and evidence on concussion with innovative health communication strategies, this free, interactive tool features interviews with leading experts, compelling storytelling, dynamic graphics, and interactive exercises. Once users complete the training and accompanying quiz, they can show their league, school, and athletes’ parents that they are ready for the season.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The online training used content from the CDC “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports” initiative. An evaluation of the “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports” initiative found 77 percent of youth sport coaches reported being more equipped at identifying athletes who may have a concussion. In addition, half of the coaches reported learning something new about concussion after reviewing the materials. CDC also received a testimonial from a high school athlete that stated the 30-minute training helped his coach save his life. Cole, a high school wrestler, sustained a concussion during a drill, when a teammate rolled over and landed on his head. Cole does not remember the details but his teammate reports that Cole was slow to get up from the mat, complained that his head hurt, and didn’t understand what was happening. “I went to the emergency room and was told not to return to wrestling for at least a month. I ignored the doctor and returned to wrestling after one week,” said Cole. “During practice, one of the coaches noticed a problem, and pulled me out. My neurologist believes this action by my coach saved my life.”

Conclusions:  Testimonials like Cole’s underscore the importance of providing accurate information in an intuitive, easy-to-access format. CDC updated and re-launched the training in January 2013. In just over two months, the course attracted 55,265 unique visitors (74% of which were new visitors) with a total of 97,969 page views.

Implications for research and/or practice:  The training is an excellent example of how to take new research, translate it for the intended audience, and provide a mechanism for large-scale dissemination. The development and promotion of the training fully demonstrate a successful health communication product.