(Research Hub Theater) Characterizing Attitudes and Perceptions of Helmet Use Among World Surf League Athletes

Background and/or Objectives: Injuries to the head and neck are common among surfers. Helmets have been developed to mitigate such injuries; however, factors which may influence helmet use among surfers remain unknown. Therefore we sought to characterize variables associated with perceptions and attitudes towards helmet use among professional surfers.

Design: Cross Sectional Study

Setting: In-person survey with the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour

Participants: Professional WSL athletes (men: n=29, 66.0%; women: n=15, 34.1%)

Interventions: not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive statistics of level of agreement among Likert-type scales on domains evaluating attitudes and circumstances regarding helmet use among WSL athletes.

Results: Half of the athletes reported some level of prior surfing helmet use (n=22, 50.0%). A majority agreed that helmets were safe (n=36, 81.8%). Agreement was relatively high that helmets should be worn for heavy waves (n=24, 54.5%), shallow bottoms (n=24, 54.5%), and coral bottoms (n=21, 47.7%). The level of agreement on the use of helmets generally increased with wave height, from n=3 (6.8%) for 0-5ft waves to n= 16 (36.4%) for 21ft+ waves. Agreement regarding helmet use was particularly high for specific locations with multiple features considered to be high risk (e.g. large heavy waves with shallow coral bottoms) such as Pipeline (n=35, 79.5%) and Teahupo’o (n=33, 75.0%). However, athletes also frequently endorsed that helmets were uncomfortable (n=16, 36.4%) or not aesthetically pleasing (n=18, 40.9%). Notably, only 2 (4.5%) of the participants endorse currently wearing helmets while surfing.

Conclusions: The current descriptive data suggest that wave height and type, bottom type, and helmet aesthetics and comfort may influence attitudes regarding helmet use. Logical next steps for this work include extending the investigation to other levels of the sport along with determining interventions which would increase helmet use to match athletes’ perception of risk.