Comparison of reporting systems to determine concussion incidence in NCAA Division I collegiate football

To determine the incidence of concussion during the 2001 Division I-A college football season through utilization of the Internet.

Prospective Internet survey.

Internet Web site.

Head athletic trainers from Division I-A collegiate football programs.

During the 2001-2002 football season, head athletic trainers from 87 Division I-A football programs agreed to use an Internet Web site to submit weekly data on the number of athlete exposures and concussions.

A total of 373 concussions were reported over the course of a season in both practices and games combined. Of these concussions, 256 (68.6%) occurred during games, and 117 (31.4%) occurred during practice. The injury rate per 1,000 athletic exposures was 5.56 in games and 0.25 in practices. There were 230 grade 1 (61.7%), 134 grade 2 (35.9%), and 9 grade 3 (2.4%) concussions reported. There was a significant (p < 0.01) difference found between the total concussion injury rate and game concussion injury rate when comparing the Internet and the NCAA injury data collection methods.

The results of this study suggest an underreporting of concussions using the NCAA Injury Surveillance System and demonstrate that the Internet is a simple and effective tool for data collection.