Consequences of Adolescent Sport-Related Concussion and Musculoskeletal Injury: Examining Long-term Impacts on Body Composition and Physical Activity Levels

Sport-related concussions (SRC) may be encumbering injuries and are experienced in high rates amongst Canadian adolescents participating in sport. Little is known of the long-term effects of SRC in how they may affect both physical activity behaviors and body composition as adults later in life. This thesis examined appropriate algorithms to employ when utilizing Actigraphs as objective measures of free-living physical activity behaviors, and then the body composition levels and physical activity levels of adults (ages 18-33) with a 5–15-year history of either SRC or musculoskeletal (MSK) injury relative to uninjured controls (UC). Data were collected for 268 individuals participating through the SHRed Consequences of Concussion cohort study. Analyses displayed that SRC and MSK injury cohorts relative to UC had comparable body compositions, identified through lean mass and fat mass indices, as well as comparable physical activity behaviors, denoted by daily amounts of sedentary time and light, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous, and vigorous physical activity. This demonstrated that those with adolescent SRC or MSK injury history continue to participate in physically active lifestyles as young adults as evidenced by either maintaining and/or acquiring body compositions and participating in physical activities similar to those without injury history. Future research should take a more granular look at long-term sport-related injury through examining persistent concussion symptoms for those with SRC history as well as type/location of MSK injury in an effort to consider the heterogeneity of these injuries.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Leggett, Benjamin T

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Emery, Carolyn A

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Schneider, Kathryn J
• Smirl, Jonathan D
• Eliason, Paul

• sport-related concussion
• concussion
• young adult
• adolescent
• long-term health
• physical activity
• physical activity behaviours
• body composition
• adiposity

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/46538

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/118942