Risk factors associated with concussions in a college student population.

Purpose: To determine risk factors associated with concussion among the general collegiate population using a unique data linkage methodology.

Methods: Student health medical, counseling, and disability access service data were linked with university enrollment data to provide a comprehensive, deidentified dataset of students who sought care at the student health center for concussion from 2016-2020. Using chi-squared tests and logistic regression, characteristics of students with and without concussion were evaluated.

Results: During the study period, 506 concussions from 474 students were identified (cumulative incidence rate of 51.7 per 10,000 students). Significant predictors of concussion included: younger age (<21 years): odds ratio (OR) = 3.52 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 2.78, 4.50), Greek affiliation: OR = 1.89 (95% CI, 1.56, 2.30), and utilization of counseling and psychological services: OR = 1.92 (95% CI 1.59, 2.32). Of the students with concussion, 47% had at least one other concussion within the preceding year. History of prior hospitalization or medical imaging for head injury increased subsequent concussion risk by 4.5 fold.

Conclusions: Linking unique datasets provides a richer understanding of the characteristics and risk factors associated with student concussions than analysis of a single data source. This comprehensive dataset will enable future targeted interventions to prevent and treat college student concussions.