Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Male Professional and Semi-Professional Footballers Towards Concussion: A look at two countries from the Caribbean Football Union

Objectives: This study sought to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of male professional or semi-professional footballers towards concussion from two member countries of the Caribbean Football Union. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted targeting footballers from Jamaica’s Premier league and Guyana’s Elite League. The Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitude Scale student version (RocKAS-ST) was used to collect data on knowledge and attitude. Five questions were added to examine practice and one question examined athletes’ agreement with a ban on ball heading for young children in the Caribbean region. Results: The mean Concussion Knowledge Index (CKI) score for Jamaican footballers was 16.5 ± 3.4 [95% CI = 13.5, 14.6; range 8 - 25] and mean CKI for Guyanese footballers was 14.0 ± 2.9 [95% CI = 15.8; range 8 - 25]. There was a weak correlation between years playing and CKI score for Guyanese footballers (r = 0.3, p < 0.01). The mean Concussion Attitude Index (CAI) scores for Jamaican footballers was 56.8 ± 8.4 [95% CI 55.2, 58.5; Range 33 - 75], and for Guyanese footballers the mean was 58.2 ± 3.6 [95% CI 57.5, 59.0; Range 45 - 70]. There was no significant correlation between age or number of years playing in the league and CAI scores. Conclusion: There is room for improvement of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of footballers from both countries with respect to sport-related concussion. This gap could potentially be addressed by the development of culturally specific educational programs which integrate behaviour change theories.