Risk perception and risk-taking among skateboarders

• Skateboarding is a high-risk activity.
• We identified individual factors in order to inform injury prevention intervention.
• {cke_protected}{C}{cke_protected}{C}{cke_protected}{C}Age, experience level, sensation seeking, risk perception are significant variables of risk taking.
• Sensation seeking is the only significant factor associated with risk perception.
• of impulsive sensation seeking in risk perception as well as risk-taking.

Skateboarding is considered to be a high risk activity. Although many studies have identified risk factors associated with skateboarding injuries, few have provided detailed in-depth knowledge on participants’ psychological dispositions towards risk behaviors. The aim of this study was to identify individual factors associated with risk perception and risk-taking among skateboarders. Telephone interviews were conducted with 158 skateboarders (mean age = 18.1 years) recruited in 11 Montreal skateparks. Age, self-efficacy, previous injuries, fear of being injured, sensation seeking and experience level were all included in two linear regression models that were run for risk perception and risk-taking. Age, experience level, sensation seeking, and risk perception are significant explanatory variables of risk-taking. Results show that sensation seeking was the only significant factor associated with risk perception. These results allow for a better understanding of the behavior of skateboarders, they highlight the importance of impulsive sensation seeking in risk perception as well as risk-taking. This study characterizes skateboarders who take risks and provides additional information on interventions for injury prevention.