Factors associated with Parental Knowledge and Attitudes towards Concussions in the Republic of Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the status and evaluated factors associated with knowledge and attitudes regarding concussions among Korean parents of children aged 6-18 years.

METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was employed to collect data from a panel of parents in the Republic of Korea in 2023. To assess knowledge and attitudes regarding concussions, participants completed a validated questionnaire. The outcome variables of the total knowledge and total attitude scores, which ranged from 0 to 30 and 7 to 49, respectively, were categorized into three levels based on approximately 33% increments. We conducted multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses with the participants' and their children's demographics and characteristics as covariates.

RESULTS: A total of 260 parents responded to the survey and demonstrated moderate concussion-related knowledge (median total score, (Inter Quartile Range (IQR) 18-22.5)). The respondents exhibited favorable attitudes toward concussions (median total score, 39 (IQR 34-43)). Multivariate ordinal regression analysis for outcomes revealed that, except for the careers of healthcare providers (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.15, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-8.75), no factors were associated with parental concussion-related knowledge. Among the factors, none exhibited a statistically significant association with concussion-related parental attitudes.

CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed the knowledge-attitude gap regarding concussions among Korean parents and novel strategies are warranted to improve parental knowledge and attitudes.