Concussion Bingo: Taking an active learning approach to concussion education with vulnerable populations

Abstract

Objective: The ability of athletes in underserved communities to recognise sport-related concussion (SRC) may be complicated by the lack of a qualified professional, such as an athletic trainer, present. An active learning educational activity (Concussion Bingo) was developed to assist in SRC identification. This study examined learning outcomes following the use of this activity by athletes in two US Title I (low socioeconomic status) high schools. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: High school sports. Methods: Participants ( n = 102 athletes) completed 10-minute SRC knowledge of concussion surveys before and after participating in a Concussion Bingo activity. The 45-question survey assessed SRC knowledge through questions about SRC signs/symptoms, general injury information relating to loss of consciousness, the injured anatomical structure, complications of multiple SRCs and premature return to play. Participants had to mark key SRC terms on a Bingo card as they appeared throughout an SRC presentation including content from published consensus/position statements. Descriptive and parametric statistics were used to analyse the data. Results: Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between pre- and post-Concussion Bingo scores. Athletes had the greatest knowledge increase of fogginess ( n = 30, 29.5%), mood changes ( n = 29, 28.5%), nausea ( n = 27; 26.5%) and sleep problems ( n = 27, 29.5%). On questions pertaining to the injury itself, athletes had the greatest increase on ‘you have to be hit in the head to get a concussion’ ( n = 51, 50%), ‘what kind of an injury is a concussion’ ( n = 31, 40.2%) and a concussion only occurs if you ‘black out’ ( n = 24, 23.4%). Conclusion: Concussion Bingo increased Title I high school athletes’ knowledge of SRCs, suggesting that it may be an effective active learning tool for increasing SRC knowledge.

Concussion Education in the School Setting: A Scoping Review

“…The majority of studies were conducted in the United States (n = 23; 85.2%), 27‐49 with two conducted in Canada (7.4%) 50,51 and one in both Ireland (3.7%) 52 and Australia (3.7%) 53 . The studies were published in 25 different peer‐reviewed journals, with two published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 29,30 and two published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine 49,52 .…”

“…The majority of studies were conducted in the United States (n = 23; 85.2%), 27‐49 with two conducted in Canada (7.4%) 50,51 and one in both Ireland (3.7%) 52 and Australia (3.7%) 53 . The studies were published in 25 different peer‐reviewed journals, with two published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 29,30 and two published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine 49,52 . The studies described the use of various study designs including prospective cohort (n = 4; 14.8%), 27,31,37,47 cross‐sectional (n = 3; 11.1%), 35,44,49 pre‐post (n = 3; 11.1%), 29,40,48 mixed methods (n = 2; 7.4%), 45,50 randomized control trial (n = 2; 7.4%), 32,33 case study (n = 1; 3.7%), 30 cross‐over (n = 1; 3.7%), 51 intervention (n = 1; 3.7%), 38 cohort (n = 1; 3.7%), 36 quasi‐experimental (n = 1; 3.7%) 41 and pilot (n = 1; 3.7%) 43 .…”

“…Three studies (11.1%) were provided to a mixed‐age group 27,29,39 and four studies (14.8%) did not describe the age or grade of the sample 29,30,33,41 . About half of the studies (n = 13; 48.1%) described concussion education that used a formal name for the education delivered (eg, Sports Legacy Institute Community Educators [SLICE]) 27,28,31‐33,36,41‐43,45‐47,49 . See Table 2 for the formal names of the concussion education.…”

Evolving Understandings of Bingo in Four Decades of Literature: From Eyes Down to New Vistas

“…Finally, a distinct group of health researchers used non-gambling bingo as a tool, harnessing its familiarity and accessibility, and adapting its form, to educate older people about falls prevention (Flint et al, 2020), vulnerable people about concussion (Wallace et al, 2019), children with autism about verbal communication (La Londe et al, 2020) and health professionals about workplace processes (Brown, 2020;Shaw & Ouchida, 2020). It was integrated into stroke recovery to establish that patients needed cognitive stimulation as well as physical therapy (Bray et al, 2019) and used as a site for health interventions (Evans et al, 2017).…”

Going Beyond the State Law: Investigating High School Sport-Related Concussion Protocols

“…25 Educational strategies that go beyond passive information including face-to-face interactive lectures, peer-topeer instruction, or active learning games should be considered. [26][27][28] There is speculation that an increased understanding of SRC consequences may lead athletes to adopt safer styles of play, but there are no investigations that support education alone as a primary prevention strategy for SRCs. 4 Due to the lack of evidence-based SRC prevention interventions available at this time, it is not surprising that only three protocols in our study addressed this facet of SRC care.…”