Reducing Head Impact Exposure in Hawaii High School Football

NCT04020874 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: HuTT808
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 496
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This three-year study will determine the effectiveness of a helmetless tackling training intervention to decrease head impact exposure in Hawaiian high school football players.

Conditions

Head Trauma; Cognitive Change; Confidence, Self; Sports Injuries in Children

Keywords

concussion; tackle; youth sports

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Head Impact Exposure Change from Baseline

  The number, force, and location of impacts to the head/helmet of a participant during practices and games as measured by InSite (Riddell)

  At the end of three (3) regular football seasons. Season 1 as baseline, seasons 2 and 3 compared against season 1. Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

• Neurocognitive performance Change from Baseline

  Pre- and post-season neurocognitive scores (composite values for visual memory, verbal memory, reaction time, visual motor speed)

  Before and at the end of three (3) regular football seasons. Season 1 as baseline, seasons 2 and 3 compared against season 1. Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

• Self-report Symptom Scores Change from Baseline

  Concussion symptom scores (0-6 Likert scale; 0=none, 1=mild, 6=severe) for 22 symptoms as measured by Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). Scores are totaled.

  At the end of three (3) regular football seasons. Season 1 as baseline, seasons 2 and 3 compared against season 1. Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

• Player self-efficacy for achieving and reinforcing head protective behaviors during tackling and blocking Change from Baseline

  Self-efficacy scores on a scale of 0-10 (0=not confident; 10=highly confident) as measured by self-reported tackling and blocking appraisal inventory.

  At the end of three (3) regular football seasons. Season 1 as baseline, seasons 2 and 3 compared against season 1. Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

• Coach self-efficacy for achieving and reinforcing head protective behaviors during tackling and blocking Change from Baseline

  Self-efficacy scores on a scale of 0-10 (0=not confident; 10=highly confident) as measured by self-reported tackling and blocking appraisal inventory.

  At the end of three (3) regular football seasons. Season 1 as baseline, seasons 2 and 3 compared against season 1.Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Intervention frequency (ie. dose response)

  During two (2) regular football seasons. Each season spanning approximately 13 weeks (July - October)

Study Arms (3)

Baseline

NO INTERVENTION

Year 1, no intervention to generate baseline, comparative data for subsequent years

HuTT-2x

EXPERIMENTAL

The HuTT® program emphasizes proper tackling and blocking techniques using a progressive series of closely supervised drills. Skill rehearsal is done without helmets and shoulder pads and is the inherent element of HuTT® in order to reinforce behaviors which remove the head as a point of contact. The HuTT® program is modeled after basic tackling/blocking drills familiar to the sport of football. Feedback to confirm or correct proper skill development is provided by coaches trained in the HuTT® technique. HuTT® drills are conducted at an intensity of 50-75% effort and over a period of approximately 10 minutes. The intervention will be conducted 2 times each week throughout the regular season.

Behavioral: HuTT-2x

HuTT-4x

EXPERIMENTAL

The HuTT® program emphasizes proper tackling and blocking techniques using a progressive series of closely supervised drills. Skill rehearsal is done without helmets and shoulder pads and is the inherent element of HuTT® in order to reinforce behaviors which remove the head as a point of contact. The HuTT® program is modeled after basic tackling/blocking drills familiar to the sport of football. Feedback to confirm or correct proper skill development is provided by coaches trained in the HuTT® technique. HuTT® drills are conducted at an intensity of 50-75% effort and over a period of approximately 10 minutes. The intervention will be conducted 4 times each week throughout the regular season.

Behavioral: HuTT-4x

Interventions

HuTT-2x BEHAVIORAL

tackling and blocking training twice/week

HuTT-2x

HuTT-4x BEHAVIORAL

tackling and blocking training four times/week

HuTT-4x

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• be a member on one (junior varsity or varsity) of the participant schools' interscholastic football teams

You may not qualify if:

• none

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Massachusetts, Lowell: lead
• Gary O. Galiher Foundation: collaborator
• University of Hawaii: collaborator
• University of Michigan: collaborator
• Children's National Research Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Craniocerebral Trauma; Brain Concussion

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Trauma, Nervous System; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Brain Injuries; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Head Injuries, Closed; Wounds, Nonpenetrating

Study Officials

• Erik Swartz

  University of Massachussetts Lowell

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: statistician
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor and Department Chair

Model Details: pre-test, post-test, quasi-experimental

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 1, 2019
• First Posted: July 16, 2019
• Study Start: July 22, 2019
• Primary Completion: October 29, 2022
• Study Completion: January 25, 2023
• Last Updated: December 5, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)