A recent study conducted by several Department of Kinesiology Spartans shows significant geographic variations in concussion diagnoses in United States emergency departments, with the highest rates in the South and lower rates in the Midwest and Northeast.
The research, published by the Journal of Safety Research, analyzed a public database of emergency department visits from 2010 to 2018, focusing on sport-related (SRC) and non-sport-related concussions (NSRC). The study authors found over 1,150 emergency department visits were due to concussions, or more than 7 million visits nationwide according to the probability sampling method used.
Mechanism differences
Interestingly, 94.3% of concussions were caused by non-sport-related mechanisms, such as motor vehicle accidents and falls. According to the study’s first author and Department of Kinesiology Ph.D. program graduate, Aaron Zynda, there is a need for additional research and broader awareness efforts beyond the sports context, as NSRCs impact a significantly larger portion of the population.
The researchers say that while legislation over the last decade has focused on the management of SRCs, the higher occurrence of less-addressed NSRCs calls for similar policy attention to enhance prevention and treatment efforts.
Regional differences
The South’s frequency of concussion diagnoses in emergency departments was the highest, which could be attributed to the region’s high population density. Additionally, the research notes regional differences in healthcare utilization might contribute to the higher number of reported concussions in the South and the lower odds of concussions diagnosed in the Midwest and Northeast.
“Our findings highlight not only the disparities in concussion diagnoses across different regions but also emphasize the need for tailored public health strategies to address these variations effectively,” said Zynda. “There are several factors we couldn’t examine in this study, but our findings give us new ideas to explore further and understand why these results are happening.”
One of those factors is healthcare access.
“Where are people going to get treated for a concussion?” said Kinesiology Ph.D. program alum and Assistant Professor Alyssa Pollard-McGrandy. “Depending on where you are, and what you do for a job, and what type of insurance you have – these factors and care-seeking behaviors all come into play.”
Spartans on the study include:
- Megan C. Loftin, Ph.D. ’24 (Kinesiology)
- Alyssa Pollard-McGrandy, Ph.D. ’24 (Kinesiology), Assistant Professor
- Tracey Covassin, Gwendolyn Norrell Professor, Department of Kinesiology
- Jessica Wallace, Ph.D. ’15 (Kinesiology)
- Aaron Zynda, Ph.D. ’23 (Kinesiology)
Author’s note: Aaron Zynda is a post-doctoral fellow in the Concussion Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State University are conducting ongoing concussion research.