Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Regional Partnership Program : Manitoba

Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter sports that have a high rate of injury. There are additional high-risk behaviors that may increase the risk of injury, such as drinking alcohol or consuming drugs, not wearing a helmet or other protective equipment, or choosing to ski or snowboard in terrain parks. Currently, it is unknown what proportion of youth engage in these high-risk behaviors and what influences their decision to do so. The choice to engage in high-risk behaviors can be influenced by many factors, such as whether youth think they are at increased risk of an injury, if their parents or friends engage in high-risk behavior, or if they think they will get caught. Girls and boys may make different choices about high-risk behavior and factors that influence their decisions may change as they get older. This suggests that promotion strategies to encourage safe skiing and snowboarding may need to be different for various groups of people. The purpose of this study is to understand high-risk taking attitudes and behaviors among skiing and snowboarding youth. Skiers and snowboarders will be interviewed at a ski resort and asked if they partake in high-risk behaviors (drinking alcohol, consuming drugs, not wearing protective equipment, and using the terrain park), why they chose to engage in these behaviors, who and what influences their decision. They will also be asked their age, sex, activity (skiing or snowboarding), experience, previous skiing or snowboarding injury, and other sport participation. The results will allow for more effective strategies to promote safe skiing and snowboarding that can be targeted towards those skiers and snowboarders who engage in high-risk behaviors. By understanding youth's attitudes towards these behaviors, policy makers can intervene to reduce unsafe behavior.