A growing number of Arizona parents and teens are walking away from football and other sports. Nearly eight in 10 teens who have had concussions admit they’re afraid of the long-term impact of suffering hits to the head.
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Phoenix’s Barrow Neurological Institute released a new survey on whether concussions impact participation in high school sports. The results also showed that girls report sustaining sport-related concussions at nearly the same rate as boys.
Dr. Javier Cardenas said the risk of injury is driving a decline in sports participation.
“Between January 2016 to January 2018, 15 percent fewer Arizona parents would allow their kids to play football and a quarter of the athletes say they won’t play football because of concussions,” Cardenas said.
The survey found only three in 10 parents believe that schools and sports teams have done enough to prevent concussions.
