Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38918303›Full record

ArticleSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2024

Age of First Exposure Does Not Relate to Post-Career Health in Former Professional American-Style Football Players.

Douglas P Terry, Rachel Grashow, Grant L Iverson, Paula Atkeson, Ran Rotem, Shawn R Eagle, Daniel H Daneshvar, Scott L Zuckerman, Ross D Zafonte, Marc G Weisskopf and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Comparing perceptions of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) across health care disciplines.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Douglas P Terry *Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1500 21st Ave South, Suite 4340, Village at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA. Douglas.terry@vumc.org.ORCID 0000-0003-1707-3225
Rachel Grashow *Harvard Medical School, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Grant L IversonDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Paula AtkesonHarvard Medical School, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Ran RotemDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Shawn R EagleDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Daniel H DaneshvarDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Scott L ZuckermanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1500 21st Ave South, Suite 4340, Village at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
Ross D ZafonteHarvard Medical School, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Marc G WeisskopfHarvard Medical School, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Aaron BaggishHarvard Medical School, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science CenterUL1TR002541 · NCATS · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI NADLER, LEE MARSHALL · 2018 to 2022
$93.0M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002541
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePrior studies examining small samples of symptomatic former professional football players suggest that earlier age of first exposure (AFE) to American football is associated with adverse later life health outcomes. This study examined a larger, more representative sample of former professional American football players to assess associations between AFE before age 12 (AFE < 12) and clinical outcomes compared with those who started at age 12 or older (AFE 12 +).

methodsFormer professional American football players who completed a questionnaire were dichotomized into AFE < 12 and AFE 12 + . AFE groups were compared on outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety, perceived cognitive difficulties, neurobehavioral dysregulation, and self-reported health conditions (e.g., headaches, sleep apnea, hypertension, chronic pain, memory loss, dementia/Alzheimer's disease, and others).

resultsAmong 4189 former professional football players (aged 52 ± 14 years, 39% self-reported as Black), univariable associations with negligible effect sizes were seen with AFE < 12, depressive symptoms (p = 0.03; η

conclusionsIn a large cohort of former professional American-style football players, AFE was not independently associated with adverse later life outcomes. These findings are inconsistent with smaller studies of former professional football players. Studies examining AFE in professional football players may have limited utility and generalizability regarding policy implications for youth sports.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionFootballAdultAgedAge FactorsBrain ConcussionHealth StatusHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited States

Identifiers

PMID38918303
PMCPMC11467122

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.