Effects of an Athletic Trainer's Presence on an Athletic Director's Knowledge of the Tennessee Youth Concussion Law

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Concussions are a common occurrence in all types of athletics, including youth sports. Concussions can have serious adverse effects for adolescents who are still cognitively developing. Because of this growing concern, Tennessee has passed a law that sets guidelines for concussion management in youth athletics. These guidelines forced athletic programs to form policies regarding concussions in order to adhere to the new law. Currently there are 374 high schools in the TSSAA. The Athletic Directors for each high school were sent a survey to examine their knowledge of the new law, what type of access to an Athletic Trainer they have, and current concussion management policies they have in place. The proposed research question that was examined asks what effect does the presence of an Athletic Trainer have on an Athletic Director's knowledge of the Tennessee Youth Concussion Law? To answer this question a cross tabulation analysis was completed comparing Athletic Director's knowledge of the law with the presence of an Athletic Trainer. A Chi-Square analysis was conducted but showed no significant results. The hypothesis, Athletic Directors who have an Athletic Trainer at their school are more likely to have knowledge about the Tennessee Concussion Law than Athletic Directors who do not have an Athletic Trainer at their school could not be supported by statistical evidence.