A Sport Otago researcher involved in designing a concussion framework for secondary schools around New Zealand, will be in Alexandra and Cromwell next week to share her knowledge.

Kate Mossman along with ex-professional cricketer Shawn Hicks and Barry Grehan will be holding a series of free presentations on head injuries and mental health, on behalf of Sport Central, to help people understand and identify the symptoms and give support.

ACC figures show that total concussion-related claims in the 13-19 age bracket have consistently exceeded 5000 a year since 2016, except for 2020 when Covid-19 disrupted sports participation.

Rugby accounts for about 20 percent of concussion claims among teenagers, and in 2021 football, basketball, rugby league and winter sports were the other sports in the top five for concussion-related claims in that age bracket.

Kate Mossman will be in Central next week.

Kate was part of a team that co-designed Framework For Managing Concussions in New Zealand Secondary Schools (FRANCS), in 2021, which has now been rolled out to 12 across the country.

She said the framework was about supporting teenagers back into learning, and helping them negotiate the academic demands of secondary school.

“Early feedback is that we need some education around concussion in the youth space,” she said.

FRANCS was also about making sure concussion was reported to the right people, and ensuring teachers, coaches and students were aware of the symptoms.

Factors such as loud noises and bright lights can all have impacts on young people recovering from concussion in the classroom, and FRANCS links in with the school system to help make it happen.  

Kate said while it looked like concussion was on the rise in young people, it may be that also people were recognising it more.

Cromwell will be hosting a session on the morning of November 15, followed by an evening session at the Central Otago Netball Centre in Alexandra.

Go to the Sport Central Facebook page to learn about these presentations.

To register for any of the four presentations contact Jo Knight on 0272329390.

Listen to more here with The Outlet podcast.