Concussion knowledge and attitudes amongst competitive cyclists

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the concussion knowledge and attitudes of UK competitive road cyclists to identify gaps in knowledge and assess attitudes.  This was a cross-sectional study using 118 UK competitive cyclists, spanning a range of ages and abilities. An adapted Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (RoCKAS) was administered to the participants. The RoCKAS contained separate knowledge and attitude sections (possible scores ranged from 0-33 and 15-75, respectively). A cohort analysis was conducted to examine for differences in attitudes amongst the participants. The mean score for concussion knowledge was 26.4 ± 4.12 and 63.1 ± 6.4 for concussion attitude. Statistically significant differences were found in attitudes between the 49-58 age group and the 19-28 age group (p=0.013). Significant differences were also found between competitive cyclists and recreational cyclists who trained but did not race. The results of this study suggest that UK competitive cyclists have moderate concussion knowledge and good concussion symptom recognition. A cohort analysis shows that youth are less concerned about concussion than older participants and higher ability groups were associated with more dangerous attitudes. These findings can help inform targeted educational interventions in cycling to improve concussion awareness, reporting behaviors, and concussion management behaviors.