Data-Driven Risk Classification of Concussion Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Concussion is a significant public health issue, necessitating identification of high-risk sports and athlete characteristics for targeted prevention.
• Understanding the influence of sport, sex, and participation level on concussion risk is crucial for informed decision-making and effective prevention strategies.

Approach:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed for concussion studies published between 2001 and 2019.
• Included studies required clinically diagnosed sports-related concussions (SRCs) with extractable athlete exposure and concussion data.
• Meta-analysis and meta-regression analyses were conducted using a random effects model on 83 selected studies.

Key Points:

• Rugby demonstrated the highest concussion rate (28.25 per 10,000 athlete exposures), followed by American Football, ice hockey, and wrestling.
• Female athletes exhibited higher SRC rates than males, except in lacrosse.
• Collegiate athletes had higher SRC rates than high school athletes, and games had more concussions than practices.

Conclusions:

• Sports-related concussion risk is significantly influenced by the type of sport, athlete's sex, participation level, and session type (game vs. practice).
• Identifying specific risk factors and environments is essential for developing effective concussion risk reduction and prevention strategies.