September 29, 1994: Vol26n4: Findings: Parents unaware of football risks, UB researcher finds

By SUE WUETCHER
News Bureau Staff
Parents of high school football players are not aware of the risks of severe brain injury from playing football, a UB researcher has found.
	Most parents incorrectly believe that wearing a football helmet eliminates the risk of brain injury, says Gerald M. Goldhaber, UB associate professor of communication.
	Moreover, parents are not aware of labels on football helmets warning of these risks.
	In a telephone survey of 1,007 parents of high school football players who either were currently playing or had played within the previous five years, Goldhaber questioned respondents about the types of injuries associated with playing high school football, their beliefs about football helmet protection and their sources of information about the risk of head injury.
	The results of the survey were published in the winter issue of the Journal of Athletic Training.
	Less than 1 percent of respondents mentioned severe brain trauma as being a type of injury associated with playing high school football, despite the fact that the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) has warned that "head injuries traditionally have been the source of greatest concern in the game of football, accounting for 65 to 85 percent of all fatalities."
	Football helmet manufacturers for years have put warning labels on both the inside and outside of helmets advising of the risk of severe brain injury and that a helmet may not prevent such injuries.
	Yet 80 percent of respondents believed that wearing a helmet would eliminate most of the risk of severe brain injury. About  one-third of respondents knew about  the warning label on the helmet, but unprompted, less than 20 percent of those could correctly identify at least one piece of information from that label.
	Only 11 percent of parents surveyed had received information from any source about the risk of head injury, with most of it coming from written notices or permission slips from their children's schools, or from a newspaper article or television documentary. Less than 5 percent of these parents had received this information from a helmet warning label.
	"It is important that safety information be communicated to those who must make decisions about how to use a product safely," Goldhaber writes. "If parents are indeed an important audience for the information about this risk (of brain injury) and are expected to make informed decisions about granting permission for their child to play high school football, it is apparent (from the survey results) that they are making these decisions without the appropriate information."
	Typical parental consent forms from high schools use language addressing general, rather than specific risks, he notes. Since the survey results show that parents are more likely to associate football injuries with knee injuries and broken bones, rather than head injury, general language is not adequate to warn about the risk of brain injury, he says.
	Another source of information for parents about these risksQthe football players themselvesQis inadequate since most players are teenage males who are likely to take risks and ignore warnings, he adds.
	Goldhaber urges helmet manufacturersQwho have access to the available scientific literature, NOCSAE tests and standards, and information about the risk of brain injuryQ"to lead a concerted effort to provide parents with the information they need to make informed decisions about matters of safety concerning their football-playing children."
	Manufacturers could recommend, via letters, brochures and fact-to-face meetings with sales representatives, that coaches and athletic trainers meet with parents and show them a videotape containing risk and safety information, Goldhaber suggests. The companies also could provide written information to distribute to parents attending these meetings, or to others by mail.
	Athletic trainers, both individually and through their group organizations, should exert pressure on helmet manufacturers to make safety data available for study and analysis, he continues.
	Moreover, trainers are in an ideal position to initiate and operate their own nationwide network to collect information concerning incidents involving head trauma in practice or game situations and the particular helmets worn. This information could be analyzed and made available to the public and other athletic trainers.
	In addition, trainers, in conjunction with coaches and other team officials, should actively participate in the process of informing parents about potential risks involved in playing football, Goldhaber says.