Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will play a major role in a new study of head impacts in youth football. The data collected will be used to improve the safety of the game.
Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist will join colleagues from longtime collaborator Virginia Tech and two other universities. It will be the largest and most comprehensive biomedical study of youth football players conducted to date.
The plan is to install sensors in helmets and mouth guards to track on-field head impacts experienced by 9- and 10-year-old players on six youth league teams.
The participating players also will undergo off-field examinations.
According to a Wake Forest Baptist press release, the researchers will monitor the individual players until they reach age 14.
One investigator says the data collected can be applied in a number of ways, including improving clinical detection techniques and youth helmet design.
The study is being funded by a federal grant totaling over $3 million.
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