“Helmets aren’t cool”: Surfers’ perceptions and attitudes towards protective headgear

Abstract

Studies indicate that head injuries account for a significant proportion of all surf-related injuries. Yet, despite these rates, the vast majority of surfers do not wear protective headgear. Noting both the high rate of head-related injuries and surfers’ reluctance to wear protective headgear, this sociological study sought to critically explore surfers’ perceptions and attitudes towards protective headgear, and specifically to explore why so few surfers wear protective headgear. To address these aims, the ethnographic techniques of participant observations and qualitative interviews were used. In total, 12 experienced surfers from the West Coast of Canada were interviewed and over 30 hours of participant observations were collected. The findings illustrate that surfers do not wear protective headgear for four main reasons: (1) due to the idea that protective headgear is uncomfortable and could hinder performance; (2) due to the perception that protective headgear is only for other surfers; (3) based on the belief that surfing is not a high-risk sport; and (4) because of aesthetic reasons and/or the appearance of protective headgear. Using the concepts of subcultural capital and edgework, the study demonstrates how larger socio (sub)cultural factors linked to risk, control, and status influence and underline the surfers’ rationalizations for not wearing protective headgear.

Athletes' and Coaches' Attitudes Toward Protective Headgear as Concussion and Head Injury Prevention: A Scoping Review

“…Of the 18 articles that were included in the final review: three focused on knowledge about and awareness of the risk of injuries to the head and injury prevention strategies (Lehl, 2005 ; Inness and Morgan, 2015 ; Jeffries et al, 2020 ), five examined perceptions of the risk of head injury and attitudes toward the use of protective headgear (Kahanov et al, 2005 ; Taylor et al, 2005 ; Provance et al, 2012 ; Tiryaki et al, 2017 ; Vriend et al, 2018 ), seven studies only examined athletes' attitudes toward using protective headgear in sport (Finch et al, 2001 , 2003 ; Pettersen, 2002 ; Braham et al, 2004 ; Ruedl et al, 2012a ,b; Pratt et al, 2019 ), two examined athletes' experiences of the obstacles to wearing protective headgear in training and competitions (Ross et al, 2010 ; Dean and Bundon, 2020 ) and one only examined the use of protective headgear in one single season (Braham and Finch, 2004 ). Finally, four studies did not include any measurement of the athletes' use of protective headgear, but the remaining 14 of the 18 studies did.…”

“…Most of the studies examining attitudes toward headgear identified a mismatch in attitudes, risk perception and the use of headgear (Pettersen, 2002 ; Taylor et al, 2005 ; Ruedl et al, 2012a , b ). This meant that in many cases athletes believed that wearing headgear had a protective effect in terms of reducing the number and/or severity of concussions, head injuries and/or orofacial injuries, but that athletes still chose not to wear headgear either because they felt uncomfortable wearing it (Finch et al, 2001 ; Pettersen, 2002 ; Braham et al, 2004 ; Dean and Bundon, 2020 ) or that the risk of concussion did not apply to them (Taylor et al, 2005 ). For instance, in Pettersen's ( 2002 ) study of Canadian rugby players, 62% believed that wearing headgear could prevent concussion.…”

“…Here, athletes who perceived the risk of concussion in their sport as low to moderate wore protective headgear less often (Finch et al, 2003 ; Taylor et al, 2005 ). The most frequently mentioned barriers to wearing protective headgear were: “its use is not mandatory” (Pettersen, 2002 ; Ross et al, 2010 ), “it is uncomfortable” (Pettersen, 2002 ; Braham et al, 2004 , Finch et al, 2001 ; Taylor et al, 2005 ; Provance et al, 2012 ; Ruedl et al, 2012a ; Dean and Bundon, 2020 ), “it hinders performance” (Taylor et al, 2005 ; Dean and Bundon, 2020 ), “it costs too much” (Pettersen, 2002 ) and that it affects looks/image (Ross et al, 2010 ; Inness and Morgan, 2015 ; Dean and Bundon, 2020 ). The most common reasons for not using a mouthguard were discomfort and difficulty in breathing or talking (Tiryaki et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Two of the studies in the review were prospective single cohort studies (Vriend et al, 2018 ; Pratt et al, 2019 ). Only one of the studies was based on a qualitative research design (Dean and Bundon, 2020 ). In terms of methods and analytical approaches, the quantitative articles mainly consist of descriptive statistics and correlational analyses (Finch et al, 2001 , 2003 ; Pettersen, 2002 ; Braham et al, 2004 ; Kahanov et al, 2005 ; Lehl, 2005 ; Taylor et al, 2005 ; Ross et al, 2010 ; Provance et al, 2012 ; Tiryaki et al, 2017 ; Jeffries et al, 2020 ).…”

“…None 83% reported wearing a helmet. None Provance et al, 2012;Ruedl et al, 2012a;Dean and Bundon, 2020), "it hinders performance" (Taylor et al, 2005;Dean and Bundon, 2020), "it costs too much" (Pettersen, 2002) and that it affects looks/image (Ross et al, 2010;Inness and Morgan, 2015;Dean and Bundon, 2020). The most common reasons for not using a mouthguard were discomfort and difficulty in breathing or talking (Tiryaki et al, 2017).…”