Race, ethnicity, and clinical outcome following sport-related concussion: a systematic review

Abstract

IntroductionThis systematic review examined whether race or ethnicity are associated with clinical outcomes (e.g., time to return to school/sports, symptom duration, vestibular deficits, and neurocognitive functioning) following sport-related concussion among child, adolescent, or college-aged student athletes. Additionally, this review assessed whether the existing literature on this topic incorporated or included broader coverage of social determinants of health.MethodsThe online databases PubMed, MEDLINE®, PsycINFO®, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched.ResultsA total of 5,118 abstracts were screened and 12 studies met inclusion criteria, including 2,887 youth and young adults. Among the included articles, only 3 studies (25%) examined whether race and ethnicity were associated with outcomes following concussion as a primary objective. None of the studies assessed the association between social determinants of health and outcomes following concussion as a primary objective, although 5 studies (41.7%) addressed a social determinant of health or closely related topic as a secondary objective.DiscussionOverall, the literature to date is extremely limited and insufficient for drawing conclusions about whether race or ethnicity are categorically associated with outcomes from sport-related concussion, or more specifically, whether there are socioeconomic, structural, or cultural differences or disparities that might be associated with clinical outcome.Systematic review registrationidentifier: PROSPERO, CRD42016041479, CRD42019128300.