Degree
Master of Science
Program
Kinesiology
Supervisor
Dickey, Jim
Abstract
There is a growing body of research evaluating head impacts in sport, but studies have not evaluated youth football in Canada. It is important to evaluate football in Canada as the rules and field size are different than American football, and this may influence the impact exposures. The purpose of this study was to quantify the head impact exposures in youth Canadian football and determine if a season’s worth of impacts could cause impairments in executive function. Players (n=50) had their head impacts recorded using an impact measuring device (GForceTracker) throughout all contact practices and games. A subset of players (n=28) completed a pre- and post-season antisaccade protocol to determine whether there were any changes in executive function. No statistically significant executive functioning deficits were detected in this study. It appears that the head impacts accumulated during one season of youth football do not lead to decrements in executive function.
Recommended Citation
Smith, William J., "Head Impact Exposures In Youth Canadian Football Players Aged 12-14 Do Not Significantly Impair Antisaccade Performance" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5909.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5909