Gear Up: Motivators and barriers to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) wearing by youth skaters (in-line skaters and skateboarders)

Chief Investigators: Ms Erin Cassell, Dr Rosalie Aroni (Monash University) and Associate Professor Susan Sawyer (Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital)
Associate Investigators: Ms Karen Ashby and Ms Angela Clapperton
Co-operating organisations: Cities of Melbourne, Casey and Latrobe
Funding source: Department of Human Services Public Health Research Grant Scheme and the City of Melbourne.

Background to the research

There is currently a boom in the building of skate/blade facilities by councils in Victoria. For example, 16 Councils and community groups received grants in 2003/4 from the Victorian government Sport and Recreation Community Facilities Funding Program to build skate/blade facilities. Other councils are expanding facilities independent of this scheme. The federal government is also providing funds to promote participation through ‘learn-to-skate’ events. A major motivation for government action is to provide young people with increased opportunities to participate in active recreation pursuits they enjoy, to arrest the worrying increase in physical inactivity and obesity among young Australians.

Although skateboarding and in-line skating (rollerblading) are fun and healthy activities, a downside of participation is the risk of injury. Victorian hospital injury data indicate that over the 3-year period 1999-2001 there were two deaths and at least 350 hospital admissions and 2,000 Emergency Department presentations for skating-related injuries (skateboarding and in-line skating).

The latest available year of hospital admissions data (2002/3) show a worrying upward trend in hospital admissions, from 330 in 2001/2 to 500 cases in 2002/3 (including one death from head injuries). Among admissions, the body sites most commonly injured were the elbow, forearm and wrist (58.5%, mostly fractures). Head injuries accounted for 9% of admissions in 2002/3.

Research indicates that many of these injuries would be prevented if skaters wore recommended safety gear (wristguards, elbow pads, knee pads and helmets). For example, the wearing of wristguards has the potential to prevent nine out of ten forearm and wrist injuries. However, a recent MUARC study showed that three-quarters of the skaters observed in a sample of Victorian council-owned skateparks/skating facilities wore no item of safety gear.

Details of the research

MUARC is conducting this research project to better understand skaters’ attitudes when skating, their past history of injury in skating and the circumstances of their injury including any equipment involved, their perceptions of injury risk and the motivators and barriers to the wearing of safety gear by skaters. The results will be used to plan skating injury prevention programs. A major aim of this current study is to increase the uptake of safety gear – helmets, wristguards, knee and elbow pads – among youth skateboarders and in-line skaters to decrease the risk of skating-related injury, while encouraging participation for associated health benefits. The research consists of 3 components: six focus groups of youth skaters (2 in each LGA), face-to-face interviews with youth skaters (15 in each LGA) and key stakeholder interviews involving representatives of skating organizations, facility providers and the skating industry.

The two major research questions are:

1. What are the socio-cultural, personal, economic and other motivators or barriers to the wearing of recommended safety gear (helmets, wristguards, kneepads and elbow pads) by active youth skateboarders and in-line skaters (aged 10-17 years)?
2. What approaches, strategies and measures have good potential to increase the wearing rate of recommended safety gear by youth skateboarders and in-line skaters?

Who is eligible to participate in the youth focus groups and face-to-face interviews?

Skaters (skateboarders and in-line skaters) aged 10-17 years of age.

What do youth participants have to do?

Focus group participants will take part in a one-hour discussion group with 8-10 skaters of the similar age. All focus groups will be conducted at the local skate park where participants usually skate.

Participants in the face-to-face interviews will take part in a 45-minute to one-hour one-on-one interview with a member of the research team. Interviews will be conducted at the local skate park where participants usually skate.

Both focus groups and face-to-face interviews will be asked about their past history of skating injury and the circumstances of their injury including any equipment involved, their perceptions of injury risk and the motivators and barriers to the wearing of safety gear by. Both focus groups and face-to-face interviews will be audiotaped.

Privacy, confidentiality and disclosure of information

• No findings that could identify any individual participant will be published. The focus groups and interviews will be audiotaped and transcribed. Quotes from the interview may be used in the research report but will be anonymous.
• Consent Forms with contact details of participants will be stored securely and separately from the audiotapes and transcripts. Only members of the research team will have access to the research data, which will be stored for at least five years as prescribed by the university regulations.

Ethical Guidelines

This project will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans (June 1999) produced by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. This statement has been developed to protect the interests of people who agree to participate in human research studies. The Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee of has approved the project.

Further information or questions

If you have any questions please contact the research team on 9905-1805, at the Monash University Accident Research Centre.