Results section

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1iHX5HUKbzgUUU2Y0RJS3JSYkk/view?usp=sharing

Research Journal #2

What is your topic? Or what are your key words thus far?

My topic is the long term affects concussions have on a persons ability to think. My keywords are:

"concussions"

"Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy(CTE)"

"Concussions in sports"

What is your research question? Have you decided to change it at all? And, if you have, how do I know that the way in which this question is formulated is appropriate to conduct a literature review with a systematic approach? 

My research question is how do repeated concussions affect a person’s ability to think, and how did the growing concern for concussions affect professional sports. This question is appropriate due to an increase in research into concussions and the affect they have on people, especially athletes.

And what are the definitions on which it depends?

Concussions: A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: is a form of encephalopathy that is a progressive degenerative disease, which can currently only be definitively diagnosed postmortem, in individuals with a history of multiple concussions and other forms of head injury.

Long Term: a long interval or period

Traumatic Brain Injury: Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body

What is your hierarchy of evidence? And how do I know you going about finding the most appropriate evidence/method for your research question?

Case Control study

Cohort study

Research

Case control study will be useful because it will give us a study on how the affectiveness of PPE changes the rate of concussions in people. Cohort study will also help due to it targeting a specific group of people allowing us to see where chronic concussions are mainly seen. Research will help us answer our question on how repeated concussions affect a persons ability to think and process information.

How do I know that the remit of the method itself is selecting the research, rather than just you on a whim? + 1 thing you found interesting + how you imagine using the source.

Article #1

Kraus, J. F., Anderson, B. D., & Mueller, C. E. (1970). An investigation of the effectiveness of a new helmet to control touch football head injuries. American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health, 60(5), 903-912. doi:10.2105/ajph.60.5.903

This article relates to my topic because it shows the prevelance of concussions in football players and how the implementaitons of helmets have helped reduce the number of concussions in players. It is a Case control study due to it having two groups that it is testing with players wearing helmets and players not.      

Article #2

Uchendu, U. S., Omalu, B. I., Cifu, D. X., & Egede, L. E. (2016). Repeated Concussions: Time to Spur Action Among Vulnerable Veterans. American Journal of Public Health, 106(8), 1366-1368. doi:10.2105/ajph.2016.303293

This article is a cohort study because it is based on a specific group of people. It focuses on veterans that have had repeated head trauma and the affect it has on them. This article again brings to attention the results of repeated head trauma and how it affects a person’s life.

Article #3

Wasserman, R. C., Waller, J. A., Monty, M. J., Emery, A. B., & Robinson, D. R. (1988). Bicyclists, helmets and head injuries: a rider-based study of helmet use and effectiveness. American Journal of Public Health, 78(9), 1220-1221. doi:10.2105/ajph.78.9.1220

Again this is another article that shows the affect of people wearing helmets, but this time it is shown in people who ride bikes. This is a cohort study focusing on bikers and now a days that is a hot topic. This shows the results of wearing helmets and how they can help reduce the number of TBIs.          

Article #4

Wasserman, E. B., Bazarian, J. J., Mapstone, M., Block, R., & Wijngaarden, E. V. (2016). Academic Dysfunction After a Concussion Among US High School and College Students. American Journal of Public Health, 106(7), 1247-1253. doi:10.2105/ajph.2016.303154

This article is a case control study that shows the effects of concussions on high school and college students. It relates test scores before and after a person has received a concussion. As well as comparing them to students that have not received a TBI in their career. This article directly relates to the effects of concussions on a person’s ability to think.

Research Topic

Over the past couple years the topic of Traumatic brain injuries in sports has been a huge topic for debate. Many believe that commissioners of sports leagues have brushed off the seriousness of brain trauma. So my topic is, how has the negligence of TBIs in sports affected the athletes during and after their careers, and how much did league officials know and what things could have been done to help prevent and mange these things. I would like feedback on if my topic has enough depth or if I need to dig deeper.