An examination of North Carolina high school football coaches relative to football helmet fitting
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Garrett M. Wingate (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Ben Dyson
Abstract: High school football in the United States is the sport with the most participation, with just over one million participants in all divisions in 2021-2022, according to the NFHS (2023). However, participation numbers in high school football have declined for the first time. Despite many benefits, participation in youth football has declined, with many blaming concussion risk. While there is a risk, not participating in youth football leads to missing out on the sport’s physical, social, and psychological benefits (Murphy et al., 2017). High school football coaches in North Carolina are often one of the first lines of defense regarding player safety and reducing the risk of high school football players sustaining a sports-related concussion (SRC). Current research has provided numerous methods a high school football coach can use to reduce the risk of SRC. One of the methods that all coaches can use in their programs is proper football helmet fitting to reduce impact kinematics. In North Carolina, studies have yet to determine if high school football programs follow helmet manufacturer fitting guidelines or if someone in their programs is tasked with properly fitting football helmets. This study investigates high school football coaches' knowledge, understanding, and experiences with proper football helmet fitting in their respective high school programs. High school football coaches in North Carolina completed a survey (n=84) that included questions about coach demographics, school demographics, and experiences with helmet fitting. Following the survey, coaches (n=11) completed a semi-structured interview on changes they noticed in high school football and helmet fitting questions regarding their programs. Coaches identified helmet fit as an essential task, but constraints do get in the way of ensuring proper fit. The top constraints to proper helmet fit are time constraints, lack of education and emphasis, lack of finances, and hair. The enabling factors for helmet fit were helmet sales representatives and fitting stations. These findings will provide information to ensure coaches have the resources necessary to fit football helmets in their respective programs.
An examination of North Carolina high school football coaches relative to football helmet fitting
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Created on 8/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Helmet Fitting, High School Coaches, High School Football, Impact Kinematics, North Carolina, Sports Related Concussion
- Subjects
- Football coaches $z North Carolina
- Football helmets $z North Carolina
- Football injuries $z North Carolina $x Prevention