APC (Athletes, Players, Coaches)

Nearly 4 million sport-related concussions (SRC) are reported annually in the US, and this number has been steadily increasing. These injuries can result in significant short-term deficits, including diminished neurocognitive function, postural control and self-reported symptoms. Consistently, findings indicate rates of depression and diminished quality of life are likely to occur in weeks to months post- concussion. The post-injury recovery period is a particularly vulnerable time as sustaining additional head trauma has been linked to a myriad of serious long-term neurological deficits. Therefore, immediate removal from play of an athlete who has sustained a potentially concussive impact is a critical strategy for risk reduction. Alarmingly, recent studies suggest that among high school student-athletes, more than 50% of potential SRCs go unreported.

APC is a series of digital media messages aimed at Athletes, Parents and Coaches that target known individual and environmental risk and protective factors related to concussion reporting; to decrease the time between concussion injury, onset of symptoms, and medical treatment among youth sport athletes. Getting athletes into the treatment process as quickly as possible is an important factor to their immediate and long-term well-being.