Recent analysis of more than 6,000 sports-related concussion cases in Texas could provide insight into how and why concussions go underreported in some school districts.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center reviewed data from a statewide database to see how factors like location and socioeconomic status affect the rate of reported concussions. In general, lower-income districts located in urban areas were associated with fewer reported concussions.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that overall, those bigger sports do seem to be consistently reporting and identifying concussion,” said Dr. Mathew Stokes, an assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at UT Southwestern. “Our worry going into the study was that we were going to find differences in even things like football, soccer, and these bigger sports, which would really indicate that we’re not identifying things.”…