Concussion rate reduced among high school girls’ lacrosse in Florida, with a state mandate, versus 31 states without mandates<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, Aug. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) — A statewide headgear mandate (HM) for high school girls’ lacrosse is associated with a lower concussion rate, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Daniel C. Herman, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California at Davis, and colleagues compared concussion rates among high school girls’ lacrosse players in Florida, which has a headgear mandate, to rates among players from 31 states without a headgear mandate (NHM).<\/p>\n The researchers identified 141 concussions (HM, 25; NHM, 116) and 357,225 athletic exposures (AEs; HM: 91,074 AEs; NHM: 266,151 AEs) across all games and practices for 289 total school seasons (HM, 96; NHM, 193). Overall, the concussion injury rate was higher in the NHM cohort (0.44 per 1,000 AEs) versus the HM cohort (0.27 per 1,000 AEs; incidence rate ratio, 1.59; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 2.45). During games, the incidence rate ratio was higher for the NHM cohort (1.74; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.00 to 3.02); however, this association was not seen during practices (1.42; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.71 to 2.83).<\/p>\n “The results of this study are highly encouraging for athlete safety in high school girls’ lacrosse,” the authors write. “However, a measure of caution should be employed given that this study did not employ randomization or comparisons of injury rates pre- and postmandate within the state of Florida.”<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n