Health outcomes of former division I college athletes.

Groh, Jenna R.; Yhang, Eukyung; Tripodis, Yorghos; Palminsano, Joseph; Martin, Brett; Burke, Erin; Bhatia, Urja; Mez, Jesse; Stern, Robert A.; Gunstad, John; Alosco, Michael L.

Background: Former professional collision sport (CS) athletes, particularly American football players, are at risk of developing chronic health conditions; however, little is known about the health outcomes of amateur athletes. Methods: A 60-item health survey examined self-reported symptoms and diagnoses among former Division 1 Collegiate CS athletes and non- or limited-contact sport (non-CS) athletes. Binary logistic regressions tested the association between playing CS and health outcomes. Results: Five hundred and two (6.2%) participants completed the survey: 160 CS athletes (mean age: 59.2, SD = 16.0) and 303 non-CS athletes (mean age: 54.0, SD = 16.9). CS athletes had increased odds of reported cognitive complaints and neuropsychiatric symptoms including memory (Padj < 0.01), attention/concentration (Padj = 0.01), problem solving/multi-tasking (Padj = 0.05), language (Padj = 0.02), anxiety (Padj = 0.04), impulsivity (Padj = 0.02), short-fuse/rage/explosivity (Padj < 0.001), and violence/aggression (Padj = 0.02). CS athletes also reported higher rates of sleep apnea (Padj = 0.02). There were no group differences in cardiovascular and physical health outcomes. Conclusions: Former CS athletes reported more cognitive and neuropsychiatric complaints. The low response rate is a limitation of this study; however, over 500,000 athletes play college sports each year, thus research on long-term health outcomes in this population is critical.

SELF-evaluation; HEALTH status indicators; RESEARCH funding; T-test (Statistics); FOOTBALL; LOGISTIC regression analysis; MENTAL illness; FISHER exact test; PROBABILITY theory; CHI-squared test; MANN Whitney U Test; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; NEUROLOGICAL disorders; ODDS ratio; AMATEUR athletes; COGNITION disorders; SLEEP apnea syndromes; CONFIDENCE intervals; DATA analysis software; COLLEGE athletes; PSYCHOSOCIAL factors

Brain Injury, 2025, Vol 39, Issue 2, p88

0269-9052

Academic Journal

10.1080/02699052.2024.2405209