11/03/2022
By Jong Soo Lee

You are all invited to attend a master's thesis defense in Mathematics (Probability and Statistics) by Madison Cunningham on "Statistical Analyses of Various Head Impact Exposure Characteristics in Hawaiian High School Football."

Candidate: Madison Cunningham
Degree: Master’s
Defense Date: Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022
Time: 3:30 to 5 p.m. (EST)
Location: Coburn 268 (also on Zoom, please contact jongsoo_lee@uml.edu for the link)
Thesis Title: Statistical Analyses of Various Head Impact Exposure Characteristics in Hawaiian High School Football

Committee:

  • Jong Soo Lee, Math, UML (Advisor)
  • Erik Swartz, Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, UML
  • Daniel Klain, Math, UML

Abstract:

Head impacts from tackle football can cause serious injuries that impact motor control, cognitive function, and mental health with lasting effects. The HuTT-808 study began in 2019 with the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of a helmet-less, tackling training intervention (the HuTT Technique) for head impact prevention in high school football participants from Hawaii, using a specialized instrumentation. This thesis explores multiple research questions presented by the study, and the statistical methods and analyses used to address them. The first analysis focuses on changes in head impact exposure through the duration of a game. The analysis revealed that the head impacts increased over consecutive quarters of play, possibly due to fatigue. The second analysis compared the head impact exposure of intervention group against those who did not receive the training intervention. The outcomes indicated a lower head impact exposure for the intervention group, suggesting the effectiveness of training. The third analysis compared the helmet impact exposure between select player positions. The results showed that one position group consistently had more head impacts than other position groups, along with other observations. Finally, the interrater reliability of visual video verification for head impacts during a game was analyzed. The investigation confirmed a low reliability among the raters, concluding that video verification may not be a reliable technique to identify head impact exposures and that the instrumentation is preferable.