Table 1.
Prevalence of Cognitive Risk Factors by Concussion Symptoms at Time of Football Head Injury, Harvard Football Players Health Study, 2015–2019 (N = 3803)
| |
|
Concussion symptom quartile |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
All players |
Q1 (0–10, fewest) |
Q2 (10.5–23) |
Q3 (23.5–43) |
Q4 (43.5–130, most) |
| |
N = 3803 |
n = 928 |
n = 979 |
n = 924 |
n = 972 |
| % (n) | % (n) | % (n) | % (n) | ||
| Poor cognition-related QOL | 47.3 (1798) | 17.2 (160) | 35.9 (351) | 56.6 (523) | 78.6 (764) |
| Demographic factors | |||||
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 52.1 (14.3) | 54.0 (15.6) | 53.0 (14.8) | 51.2 (13.2) | 50.2 (13.1) |
| Race, Black | 37.3 (1419) | 36.6 (340) | 34.2 (335) | 39.3 (363) | 39.2 (381) |
| Race, White | 58.7 (2231) | 59.1 (549) | 62.4 (611) | 57.4 (530) | 55.7 (541) |
| Risk factors | |||||
| Sleep apnea history | 22.2 (845) | 15.5 (144) | 20.1 (197) | 23.7 (219) | 29.3 (285) |
| Sleep duration, <5 hrs | 9.8 (372) | 3.9 (36) | 5.8 (57) | 10.9 (101) | 18.3 (178) |
| BMI | |||||
| ≥30 < 35 kg/m2 | 34.7 (1320) | 31.4 (291) | 34.9 (342) | 35.1 (325) | 37.2 (362) |
| ≥35 kg/m2 | 18.4 (701) | 17.0 (158) | 16.6 (162) | 19.2 (177) | 21.0 (204) |
| Smoking, current | 3.2 (120) | 2.3 (21) | 2.8 (27) | 3.8 (35) | 3.8 (37) |
| Physical activity | |||||
| Low-intensity, none | 49.2 (1870) | 49.9 (463) | 51.8 (507) | 47.1 (435) | 47.8 (465) |
| High-intensity, none | 32.7 (1242) | 28.2 (262) | 31.1 (305) | 32.5 (300) | 38.6 (375) |
| Walking, none | 25.2 (957) | 24.9 (231) | 23.7 (232) | 24.1 (223) | 27.8 (271) |
| Weight training, none | 34.8 (1323) | 32.7 (303) | 33.8 (331) | 35.8 (331) | 36.8 (358) |
| Total, lowest quartile, ≤5 mets/week | 25.6 (972) | 21.4 (199) | 24.0 (235) | 25.5 (236) | 31.1 (302) |
| Cardiovascular disease history | 18.3 (697) | 17.8 (165) | 19.2 (188) | 18.5 (171) | 17.8 (173) |
| Stroke history | 2.7 (103) | 1.8 (17) | 2.7 (26) | 3.0 (28) | 3.3 (32) |
| High blood pressure history | 37.1 (1409) | 37.4 (347) | 34.2 (335) | 38.2 (353) | 38.5 (374) |
| Diabetes history | 8.6 (328) | 7.3 (68) | 10.1 (99) | 8.8 (81) | 8.2 (80) |
| Pain interference in daily life, high | 34.2 (1299) | 11.8 (109) | 22.3 (218) | 40.9 (378) | 61.1 (594) |
| High depressive symptoms | 20.8 (789) | 5.4 (50) | 12.8 (125) | 23.5 (217) | 40.9 (397) |
| High anxiety symptoms | 22.3 (847) | 5.5 (51) | 13.3 (130) | 25.4 (234) | 44.5 (432) |
| Alcohol consumption, heavy | 13.2 (501) | 11.1 (103) | 11.9 (116) | 15.7 (145) | 14.1 (137) |
| Physical impairment | 24.7 (938) | 10.1 (93) | 18.4 (180) | 25.9 (239) | 43.8 (426) |
| Total number of risk factors, mean (SD)* | 3.8 (2.8) | 2.8 (2.2) | 3.3 (2.6) | 4.0 (2.9) | 5.0 (3.1) |
QOL, quality of life; SD, standard deviation.
*
BMI ≥35 and heavy alcohol consumption are considered the risk levels in the count of total risk factors. Physical activity in metabolic equivalent (METS) hours/week was calculated from reported frequency of five types of exercise, then divided into quartiles.