Observed wearing rates of protective gear amongst skatepark users: pilot observational study

Authors: Paul Jones & Andrew Mashoin (Deakin University School of Health Sciences), Karen Ashby

Date: 19 March 2004

Background information

The health and social benefits of participation in sport and active recreation are well-recognised, but many activities carry a sport-specific risk of injury. Skating (skateboarding and in-line skating) is gaining popularity among Victorian young people, and all levels of government are encouraging participation by undertaking active facilities building and skate promotion programs.

Victorian hospital emergency department presentations for skateboarding and inline skating (rollerblading) have almost doubled over the past 6 years. Each year in Victoria there are at least 100 hospital admissions and an estimated 1,000 emergency department presentations for skating injuries. To date only one fatality is recorded-a skateboarder who lost control when doing a trick on the half-pipe and suffered extensive head injuries. A fall onto the outstretched hand and arm is the most common mechanism of hospital-treated skating injury. Wrist and forearm fractures and sprains account for 27% of all hospital-treated skating injuries. Wearing of full protective gear - helmet, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads - is shown by research to provide substantial protection from fall-related injuries

Only one previous study of protective gear wearing rates among skaters has been conducted in Victoria, which was focussed solely on in-line skaters observed in four different skate settings (Sherker and Cassell, 2001). The study found that only one-third of in-line skaters wore any item of protective gear. Anecdotal evidence indicated that the wearing rate of protective gear among skateboarders is probably lower than by in-line skaters because there is even less of a 'culture of safety' among skateboarders. Our study aimed to provide a better understanding of the patterns of PPE use in skateparks, which are used mainly by skateboarders, to give us more information on the size of the challenge of getting skaters to wear protective gear.

The observational study was designed and undertaken by Deakin University Health Promotion students on an 80-hour placement at the Monash University Accident Research Centre.

Methods

Ten skateparks located across nine local government areas in the south-eastern corridor of Melbourne (from Melbourne CBD to Pakenham) were selected for the study. Unobtrusive observation was conducted over a one-week period during the September 2003 school holidays. The two student researchers observed the wearing rate of items of protective gear among skatepark users for two hours at each skatepark. The amount, kind and condition of skatepark safety signage were also noted.

Estimated age, gender and ability level of skatepark users were recorded, along with activity (skateboarding, in-line skating, BMX bike riding and other) and participants' use of helmets, wrist guards, elbow pads and kneepads. Observers were experienced skateboarders who assessed each participant's skill level on a set of agreed criteria, outlined for skaters in Table 1.

Table 1 Criteria used to assess observed skill level of skatepark users

Results

Number of observations

A total of 275 individuals were observed using the skateparks over the five-day period (Table 2). Weather conditions affected the number of observations recorded at several skateparks over the week, particularly at skateparks A, B and G.

Table 2 Prevailing weather conditions and observed frequency of skatepark use across 10 skateparks

Distribution of activities in skateparks

Table 3 shows that that skateboarding was the most popular activity in skateparks, accounting for 66.2% of observed users, followed by BMX bikeriding (18.5%). The 'other' category included micro scooter riding and long boarding, which together accounted for only 2.5% of total users.

Table 3. Observed activities in skateparks

Observed protective gear use

Table 4 summarises the main results of the study. Overall, only 24% of skatepark users wore any item of protective gear (range 13% to 51%). Bike riders had the highest wearing rate of at least one item of protective gear (51%, predominantly helmets), closely followed by in-line skaters (46%, mostly helmets). By contrast, only 13% of skateboarders wore any item of protective gear. As indicated, the helmet was the most worn item of protective gear (23% wearing rate overall). The wearing rates of all other items of protective gear were very low. Wristguards were only worn by 3% of skatepark users, and there was negligible use of elbow and knee pads.

Table 4 Observed frequency of protective gear use by skatepark users

Wearing rates by age (for all activities)

Analysis of wearing rates by age group shows that for skateboarding, in-line skating and bike riding wearing rates are highest in the youngest age group for all activities except for in-line skating where the peak group for protective gear was 10-14 year olds (Table 5). Wearing rates decreased as age increased from age 9 for skateboarding and bike riding and from age 14 for in-line skating.

Table 5 Observed frequency of use of at least one item of protective gear by activity and estimated age

Wearing rates by ability level (for all activities)

Similarly, wearing rates are highest among novices for all activities except for in-line skating where amateurs were the peak group for protective gear (Table 6). Wearing rates decreased as skill level increased for skateboarders and bike riders. None of the three skateboarders who were judged to be 'expert' skaters wore any protective gear.

Table 6 Observed frequency of use of at least one item of protective gear by activity and skill level

Wearing rate of protective gear by facility

There was marked variation in protective gear wearing rates in the ten skateparks (Table 7). However, a range of factors, including the prevailing weather conditions, affected participation at several of the venues during the two-hour period of observation, so no firm conclusions can be drawn in terms of influence of location on protective gear wearing.

Skateparks 'J' and 'G' recorded the best wearing rates (56% and 47% respectively), however bike riders dominated both during the observation period (62% and 87% respectively of observations were bike riders). By comparison, skatepark 'H' (52 observed participants) was used almost entirely by skateboarders. Skatepark 'F', which accounted for a third of observations, was an indoor facility and was visited on a designated 'skating only' day, so no bike riders were present. Six participants (12%) were observed wearing protective gear at Skatepark H, however four of these were children were under the age of 9 and were participating in a formal basic skateboarding class for which the wearing of protective gear was mandatory.

Table 7 Observed frequency of use of protective gear by skatepark

Safety signage

Signage in all 10 skateparks (all owned by local councils) instructed users to wear protective gear and engage in safe behaviours but was often graffiti covered, illegible or unattractive in presentation.

Skatepark signage at study sites on day of observation

Discussion

Because this was a student research project, observations were confined to two-hour sessions at each at each of the ten skateparks over a one-week period during the 2003 September school holidays. As reported, the weather was unpredictable and rain and other factors affected both participation and the range of activities in progress in skateparks on a number of occasions. The findings of this study are therefore tentative.

Wearing rates of protective gear were uniformly low, except for helmet wearing among bike riders and in-line skaters. Wrist and forearm injuries are the most common hospital-treated injury among Victorian skaters, accounting for 27% of skating injuries. There is good evidence to indicate that wrist guards prevent wrist injury in in-line skating and snowboarding (Schieber et al, 1996). The non-use of wristguards was found to account for 87% of all wrist injuries in a study conducted in the U.S (Schieber et al., 1996). Overall, only 3% of skatepark users in our study were wearing wrist guards. The wearing rate for in-line skaters was 6%, about half the rate observed in skateparks in the earlier study conducted by Sherker and Cassell (2001). It is obvious that many injuries could be prevented if the wearing rate of wristguards (and other protective gear) was increased in skaters and bikeriders.

Skateboarders were the dominant users of skatepark facilities in south-eastern corridor of Melbourne, including the outer suburb. They were least the likely group to wear protective gear of any type (13% wearing rate) and present a special challenge in terms of sports safety promotion. It is also worrying to note that only half of bicycle riders were wearing helmets which are effective in terms of head injury protection and compulsory on roads and bike tracks.

Safety signage obviously had little effect on safety gear wearing. Supervision of skateparks by contracted recreational providers also appears to have no consistent effect on wearing rates. Two of the ten skateparks visited were supervised. In one supervised skatepark, the only skaters wearing any protective gear were children taking a formal skating lesson.

Councils must take more responsibility for promoting the wearing of protective gear in skateparks, especially in a situation where increased participation of young people in skating and recreational bike riding is being encouraged by all levels of governments.

Recommendations

Personal Protective Equipment

• Promote the use of full protective gear to recreational skaters and bike riders of all ages and abilities
• Consider mandating the use of protective gear in council controlled skateparks
• Identify barriers to wearing of protective gear
• Encourage rental outlets for skating equipment to provide protective gear as part of the rental package
• Promote editorial policy to skate magazine proprietors, publishers, advertisers and editors so that only images of skaters wearing full protective gear are published
• Ensure that all skaters and bike riders participating in promotional and competitive events wear full protective gear in both practice sessions and the main events

Skate safe facilities

• Provide purpose-built skating facilities that separate users from traffic and pedestrians and minimise the likelihood of collisions between participants, spectators and objects in the surrounds
• Maintain facilities including all surfaces, structures and fencing, remove litter and debris
• Consider safety aspects when designing skateparks in relation to equipment choice, configuration, siting and landing surface (especially around ramp/bar areas)
• Install and maintain safety signage that is attractive and easily read

Skating instruction

• Promote inline skating, skateboarding and bike riding instruction by certified instructors to teach skills, stopping techniques and safe skating and bike riding practice
• Teach skaters, especially children, the rules of the road and monitor their compliance
• Offer lessons to more experienced skaters and bike riders to refine their skills and learn new tricks under supervision

Policy and regulation

• Each councils should develop a "skate management plan" in consultation with local skater and bike riding groups which include a code of safe conduct, and the provision and safety maintenance of skating/bike riding facilities
• Local council and skating facility managers should promote and enforce wearing of protective gear on Council property

For further information on preventing fall injury among skaters refer to Facts on fall injury among skaters available from: www.monash.edu.au/muarc/VISAR/falls/index.html

References:

• Schieber R, Branche-Doresy C, Ryan G, Rutherford G, Stevens J, O'Neill J. Risk factors for injuries from in-line skating and the effectiveness of safety gear. The New England Journal of Medicine 1996;335(22):1630-1635.

• Sherker S, Cassell E. Personal protective equipment use by in-line skaters in Victoria. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2001;25(2):179-184.