A - 14 Examining Race-Associated Differences on Sway Medical System Balance and Cognitive Tests

Purpose To determine if there are race-associated differences in Sway Medical System balance and cognitive test scores among athletes undergoing baseline preseason testing. Method Athletes between 12 and 23 years old were administered the Sway Medical System balance and cognitive tests during pre-season baseline testing. Participants who did not report a past medical history of ADHD or concussion within the past 6 months were included (N = 32,918). Athletes who self-identified as “Black or African American”or “White”were compared on Balance, Reaction Time, Inspection Time, Impulse Control, and Memory module scores using Mann–Whitney U tests, and statistical tests were stratified by age and gender. Results The race-associated differences (effect sizes) between Black and White athletes ranged from extremely small (negligible) to small across all ages for both genders on Balance, Reaction Time, Inspection Time, and Impulse Control scores. For the Memory module, the effect sizes ranged from small to medium across all ages for both genders. White boys obtained higher Memory scores than Black boys (Hedge’s g = −0.18 to −0.43) and White men obtained higher Memory scores than Black men (g = −0.30 to −0.60). White girls obtained higher Memory scores than Black girls (g = −0.19 to −0.34). Conclusions The race-associated differences between Black and White student-athletes on Sway Medical System balance and cognitive test scores are generally negligible. The reasons for modest race-associated differences in Memory scores are unknown and future research to examine the potential role or influence of social risk factors and social psychological factors on test scores is recommended.