title: Early Results of a Helmetless-Tackling Intervention to Decrease Head Impacts in Football Players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test a helmetless-tackling behavioral intervention for reducing head impacts in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Football field.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty collegiate football players (intervention = 25, control = 25).
  
  
  METHODS
  The intervention group participated in a 5-minute tackling drill without their helmets and shoulder pads twice per week in the preseason and once per week through the season. During this time, the control group performed noncontact football skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of head impacts was recorded by an impact sensor for each athlete-exposure (AE). Data were tested with a 2 × 3 (group and time) repeated-measures analysis of variance. Significant interactions and main effects (P < .05) were followed with t tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Head impacts/AE decreased for the intervention group compared with the control group by the end of the season (9.99 ± 6.10 versus 13.84 ± 7.27, respectively). The intervention group had 30% fewer impacts/AE than the control group by season's end (9.99 ± 6.10 versus 14.32 ± 8.45, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A helmetless-tackling training intervention reduced head impacts in collegiate football players within 1 season.
authors.affiliation: University of New Hampshire, Durham;
authors.forename: Erik E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Broglio
authors.affiliation: University of New Hampshire, Durham;
authors.forename: Summer B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA;
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cantu
authors.affiliation: University of New Hampshire, Durham;
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Guskiewicz
authors.affiliation: University of New Hampshire, Durham;
authors.forename: Jay L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006260:Head Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014495:Universities
keywords: athletic injuries; head and neck injuries; injury prevention