Attitudes to protective equipment amongst snowboarders in Australia
Dr Edi Albert, Wilderness Education Group, Australia*
Dr Mike Langran, Aviemore Medical Centre, Scotland
Snowboarding is a popular winter sport with a demographic that is different from skiing in that it is taken up predominantly by young people, and is now the preferred winter sport amongst this age group. It has a definable group of injuries that is different from skiing, some of which are preventable.
A range of protective equipment is now available, and for wrist guards and helmets in particular there is good evidence to support their use.
Whilst there appears to be an increase in awareness and use of such equipment, there continue to be large numbers of snowboard injuries seen at Perisher and Thredbo in snowboarders who are not wearing protective equipment. Many of these could either have been prevented or at least reduced in severity.
This questionnaire based study explores attitudes to protective equipment amongst snowboarders and attempts to understand the factors that determine the use of protective equipment. The results can be used for education and marketing purposes by health care providers, ski resorts and equipment manufacturers.
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