TY - JOUR
T1 - Representative baseline values on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) in adolescent athletes vary by gender, grade, and concussion history
AU - Valovich McLeod, Tamara C.
AU - Bay, R. Curtis
AU - Lam, Kenneth C.
AU - Chhabra, Anikar
PY - 2012/4
Y1 - 2012/4
N2 - Background: To improve and standardize the sideline evaluation of sports-related concussion, the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) was developed. This tool assesses concussion-related signs and symptoms, cognition, balance, and coordination. This newly published assessment tool has not established representative baseline data on adolescent athletes.Hypothesis: Representative baseline SCAT2 scores in adolescent athletes will differ by gender, grade in school, and self-reported concussion history.Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods: Interscholastic athletes were administered the SCAT2 during a preseason concussion baseline testing session. The SCAT2 total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with lower scores indicating poorer performance. Overall, representative values were calculated using descriptive statistics. Separate independent-samples t tests, with gender and concussion history as the independent variables, and a 1-way analysis of variance, with grade as the independent variable, were conducted to assess differences in SCAT2 total score (P <.05).Results: There were 1134 high school athletes (872 male and 262 female) who participated. The SCAT2 total score across all participants was 88.3 ± 6.8 (range, 58-100); skewness was-0.86 ± 0.07, and kurtosis was 0.73 ± 0.14. Male athletes scored significantly lower on the SCAT2 total score (P =.03; 87.7 ± 6.8 vs 88.7 ± 6.8), and 9th graders (86.9 ± 6.8) scored significantly lower than 11th (88.7 ± 7.0) and 12th (89.0 ± 6.6) graders (P <.001). Athletes with a self-reported concussion history scored significantly lower on the SCAT2 total score than those with no concussion history (P <.001; 87.0 ± 6.8 vs 88.7 ± 6.5).Conclusion: These data provide representative scores on the SCAT2 in adolescent athletes and show that male athletes, 9th graders, and those with a self-reported concussion history scored significantly lower than their female, upperclassmen, or nonconcussed peers.Clinical Relevance: These results suggest that healthy adolescent athletes display variability on the SCAT2 at baseline. Therefore, clinicians should administer baseline assessments of the SCAT2 because assuming a perfect baseline score of 100 points is not appropriate in an adolescent athlete population.
AB - Background: To improve and standardize the sideline evaluation of sports-related concussion, the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) was developed. This tool assesses concussion-related signs and symptoms, cognition, balance, and coordination. This newly published assessment tool has not established representative baseline data on adolescent athletes.Hypothesis: Representative baseline SCAT2 scores in adolescent athletes will differ by gender, grade in school, and self-reported concussion history.Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods: Interscholastic athletes were administered the SCAT2 during a preseason concussion baseline testing session. The SCAT2 total score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with lower scores indicating poorer performance. Overall, representative values were calculated using descriptive statistics. Separate independent-samples t tests, with gender and concussion history as the independent variables, and a 1-way analysis of variance, with grade as the independent variable, were conducted to assess differences in SCAT2 total score (P <.05).Results: There were 1134 high school athletes (872 male and 262 female) who participated. The SCAT2 total score across all participants was 88.3 ± 6.8 (range, 58-100); skewness was-0.86 ± 0.07, and kurtosis was 0.73 ± 0.14. Male athletes scored significantly lower on the SCAT2 total score (P =.03; 87.7 ± 6.8 vs 88.7 ± 6.8), and 9th graders (86.9 ± 6.8) scored significantly lower than 11th (88.7 ± 7.0) and 12th (89.0 ± 6.6) graders (P <.001). Athletes with a self-reported concussion history scored significantly lower on the SCAT2 total score than those with no concussion history (P <.001; 87.0 ± 6.8 vs 88.7 ± 6.5).Conclusion: These data provide representative scores on the SCAT2 in adolescent athletes and show that male athletes, 9th graders, and those with a self-reported concussion history scored significantly lower than their female, upperclassmen, or nonconcussed peers.Clinical Relevance: These results suggest that healthy adolescent athletes display variability on the SCAT2 at baseline. Therefore, clinicians should administer baseline assessments of the SCAT2 because assuming a perfect baseline score of 100 points is not appropriate in an adolescent athlete population.
KW - balance
KW - cognition
KW - mild traumatic brain injury
KW - symptoms
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U2 - 10.1177/0363546511431573
DO - 10.1177/0363546511431573
M3 - Article
C2 - 22238056
AN - SCOPUS:84859512291
SN - 0363-5465
VL - 40
SP - 927
EP - 933
JO - American Journal of Sports Medicine
JF - American Journal of Sports Medicine
IS - 4
ER -