Tony Yang, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, first-authored a commentary on a new, comprehensive campaign to promote safety in youth soccer, particularly focused on concussion awareness and standardized concussion management protocols. The campaign is supported by the U.S. Soccer Federation, the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, the American Youth Soccer Organization, U.S. Club Soccer, and California’s Youth Soccer Associations. The commentary appears in JAMA Pediatrics.
Yang and his co-author, Christine Baugh of Harvard University and the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, argue that while the rules changes can help reduce concussions, there needs to be an evaluation of the policies’ effects in order to lead to wider policy changes. These rule changes, they say, demonstrate how medical research and policy can be combined to improve safety in sports, while still encouraging youth to take advantage of the heath benefits of participating in sports. Read the full commentary.