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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Helmet Use Amongst Equestrians: Harnessing Social and Attitu...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2015; 5(3); 576-591; doi: 10.3390/ani5030373

Helmet Use Amongst Equestrians: Harnessing Social and Attitudinal Factors Revealed in Online Forums.

Abstract: Equestrian activities pose significant head injury risks to participants. Yet, helmet use is not mandatory in Australia outside of selected competitions. Awareness of technical countermeasures and the dangers of equestrian activities has not resulted in widespread adoption of simple precautionary behaviors like helmet use. Until the use of helmets whilst riding horses is legislated in Australia, there is an urgent need to improve voluntary use. To design effective injury prevention interventions, the factors affecting helmet use must first be understood. To add to current understandings of these factors, we examined the ways horse riders discussed helmet use by analyzing 103 posts on two helmet use related threads from two different Australian equestrian forums. We found evidence of social influence on helmet use behaviors as well as three attitudes that contributed towards stated helmet use that we termed: "I Can Control Risk", "It Does Not Feel Right" and "Accidents Happen". Whilst we confirm barriers identified in previous literature, we also identify their ability to support helmet use. This suggests challenging but potentially useful complexity in the relationship between risk perception, protective knowledge, attitudes, decision-making and behavior. Whilst this complexity is largely due to the involvement of interspecies relationships through which safety, risk and trust are distributed; our findings about harnessing the potential of barriers could be extended to other high risk activities.
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Publication Date: 2015-07-17 PubMed ID: 26479375PubMed Central: PMC4598695DOI: 10.3390/ani5030373Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research paper focuses on the factors influencing helmet use among Australian equestrians, revealing that social influence and personal attitudes towards safety measures play a significant role in their adoption.

Study Objective and Methodology

  • The researchers aim to understand the factors affecting helmet use amongst equestrians in Australia, where it is not mandatory except in certain competitions. This understanding is sought with the intention to design effective injury prevention interventions.
  • For this study, the researchers analyzed 103 posts from two different Australian equestrian forums. These posts were from two threads discussing the topic of helmet use.

Findings and Insights

  • The research found that social influence did significantly impact a rider’s decision to wear helmets. This influences could range from pressure from peer groups or the community, to influential figures within the equestrian world advocating for safety.
  • They also identified three main attitudes which contributed to a rider’s decision to wear a helmet: ‘I Can Control Risk’, ‘It Does Not Feel Right’ and ‘Accidents Happen’. This shows the importance of personal perception of risk associated with riding horses without a helmet and the ability to prevent accidents.

Understanding the Complexity of the Problem

  • The study confirms previously identified barriers to helmet use but interestingly, also identifies these barriers as potential avenues for promoting helmet use. This suggests a nuanced relationship between risk perception, knowledge about protective measures, individual attitudes, and actual behavior.
  • This complexity is largely driven by the context of equestrian activities which often involves complex interspecific relationships. In these relationships, notions of safety, risk, and trust are often shared, sometimes in challenging ways.
  • The researchers suggest that understanding and addressing this complex relationship could not only promote helmet use in equestrian activities, but also in other high-risk activities.

Cite This Article

APA
Haigh L, Thompson K. (2015). Helmet Use Amongst Equestrians: Harnessing Social and Attitudinal Factors Revealed in Online Forums. Animals (Basel), 5(3), 576-591. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5030373

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 5
Issue: 3
Pages: 576-591

Researcher Affiliations

Haigh, Laura
  • The Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Road, Wayville, SA 5034, Australia. kirrilly.thompson@cqu.edu.au.
Thompson, Kirrilly
  • The Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Road, Wayville, SA 5034, Australia. kirrilly.thompson@cqu.edu.au.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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  5. Thompson K, Matthews C. Inroads into Equestrian Safety: Rider-Reported Factors Contributing to Horse-Related Accidents and Near Misses on Australian Roads. Animals (Basel) 2015 Jul 22;5(3):592-609.
    doi: 10.3390/ani5030374pubmed: 26479376google scholar: lookup
  6. Thompson K, McGreevy P, McManus P. A Critical Review of Horse-Related Risk: A Research Agenda for Safer Mounts, Riders and Equestrian Cultures. Animals (Basel) 2015 Jul 17;5(3):561-75.
    doi: 10.3390/ani5030372pubmed: 26479374google scholar: lookup
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