Study Shows no Link Between Behavior Issues and Head Impacts in Youth Football
Repetitive head impacts in youth tackle football among children ages nine to 12 are not associated with cognitive or behavioral problems, a new study found.
Youth Tackle Football and Behavioral Issues
For the study, researchers followed 70 male youth football players age’s nine to 12 from four football teams during competitive seasons between 2016 and 2020. Scores on various tests for intelligence, thinking and memory remained largely unchanged, even though participants collectively sustained up to 6,000 head impacts per year, data showed.
Results on assessments for behavior, including those designed to identify symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also were stable throughout the four year study period, researchers said.
Those who scores did change over the course of the study had symptoms of ADHD and behavioral disorders before participating in youth football, according to the researchers.
The researchers measured sub-concussive head impacts using sensors placed on helmets during practices and games. They then calculated a cumulative measure of head impacts per season and evaluated players’ cognitive function and behavior before and after each football season using 10 commonly used tests.
There were no consistent associations between cumulative head impacts and cognitive and behavioral changes and no effects became more prominent over the four years of the study, the data showed.
The study was published by JAMA Network Open.
All parents want to help prevent their young athletes from sustaining an injury. Here are some ways to help prevent injuries:
Talk with your athlete: Make sure your child understands that he or she should talk with you and seek help if they are experiencing pain or something just doesn’t feel right. Some kids try and push through the pain, which could lead to a more serious condition that could have been prevented with early intervention.
Get a preseason physical: This is a great way to determine if your child is in playing condition.
Stress the importance of warming up: Stretching is an important prevention technique that should become a habit for all athletes before starting an activity or sport.
Make sure they rest: Athletes of all ages need to rest between practices, games and events. A lack of sleep and muscle fatigue predispose an athlete to injury. In fact, the most common injuries seen in young athletes are overuse injuries—too many sports and not enough rest. Along the same lines, parents should plan for an off season for their child, so they have adequate time to recuperate before the next season.
Provide a healthy, well balanced diet: It’s important for athletes to eat a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and to maintain a regular eating schedule.
Emphasize hydration: Heat related illness is a real concern for athletes, especially during hot and humid days. Parents should make sure their children have adequate water before, during and after play and watch for any signs of heat-related illness, including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or fainting.
Get the proper equipment: Protective equipment like helmets, pads and shoes are very important for injury prevention.
Emphasize proper technique and guidelines: In every sport there is a correct way and a wrong way of doing things.
Recognize injury and get help early: If parents notice there is a change in their child’s athletic technique, they should pull them out of play.
Regardless of the sport, prevention is a key component of keeping safe!
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