Reduce head impacts and concussions in youth football by changing coach-led practices
COACH: COmmunities Aligned to reduce Concussion and Head impact exposure in youth football
['FUNDING_R01'] · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · NIH-11251776
This program trains community youth football coaches in safer practice drills and planning to help lower kids' head impacts and concussion risk.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11251776 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If my child plays youth football, this program works with local coaches to redesign practices so they use safer drills and less contact. The research team co-designed the COACH program with community stakeholders and pilot-tested it with two teams to confirm it was acceptable and feasible. Now they will run a larger, real-world evaluation across community-run leagues to see whether coach training reduces head impacts and concussions and to identify what helps or hinders implementation. The study will track practice activities, head impact exposure, concussion occurrences, and collect feedback from coaches and community members to improve sustainability.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are youth football teams, their coaches, and players in community-run leagues who take part in regular practices.
Not a fit: Children who do not play youth football, participate only in non-contact programs, or whose teams do not adopt the coach-led practice changes are unlikely to receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower the number and severity of head impacts and concussions among youth football players.
How similar studies have performed: Small pilots and observational studies suggest that reducing contact in practices and educating coaches can lower head impacts, but large pragmatic trials are still limited.
Where this research is happening
WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES
- WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES — WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: URBAN, JILLIAN ELIZABETH — WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- Study coordinator: URBAN, JILLIAN ELIZABETH
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.