Context With growing concerns surrounding exposure to head impacts in youth tackle football, players and parents must understand the exposure level when assenting and consenting to participate. Objective To determine whether youth football players and parents could estimate on-field head-impact frequency, severity, and location. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Football field. Patients or Other Participants We administered a 10-question head-impact estimation tool to parents (n = 23; mean age = 36.5 years [95% CI = 31.7, 37.3 years]) and players (n = 16 boys; mean age = 11.1 years [95% CI = 10.3, 11.8 years]). Main Outcome Measure(s) Player on-field head-impact exposure was captured using the Triax SIM-G system. We determined the accuracy between player and parent estimates relative to on-field head-impact exposures using k and weighted k values. Results Youth tackle football players and parents did not accurately estimate on-field head-impact frequency (k range = -0.09 to 0.40), severity (k range = -0.05 to 0.34), or location (k range = -0.30 to 0.13). Players and parents overestimated head-impact frequency in practices but underestimated the frequency in games. Both groups overestimated head-impact severity, particularly in games. Most players and parents underestimated the number of head impacts to the top of the head, particularly during practices. Conclusions Underestimations of head-impact frequency in games and to the top of the head suggest that informed consent processes aimed at educating players and parents should be improved. Overestimations of head-impact frequency in practices and severity may explain declining rates of youth tackle football participation. Key Points - Youth tackle football players and parents did not accurately estimate the frequency, severity, or location of head impacts sustained during participation. - Players and parents need to better understand the frequency of head impacts in games and to the top of the head. - Overestimations of head-impact exposure may be driving declining youth tackle football participation rates, which warrants further investigation.
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