Individual
There are many different individual factors the influence participation in physical activity including: education, SES, age, ethnicity, and obesity. Individuals with a low SES will decrease their participation levels due to them not having the finances to afford required sport equipment such as head gear, uniforms and/or fees. Due to new policies making protective gear compulsory to participate in games or play to prevent head injuries and concussions, it makes it harder for individuals and families to comply. Age is also an important factor affecting the participating of physical activity for individuals around the globe. The New York state department of health states that individuals aged from 15 to 19 years of age are more susceptible to head injuries and concussions than other ages. This indicates that the youth participate in more intense physical activity then other ages. Not only this, but it also indicates the lack of education young individuals experience on concussions and head injuries resulting in higher rates of injury. Overall SES, education and age influences the amount of physical activity individuals participate in.
Social
Social factors also contribute to the participation of physical activity among individuals. Family, peers, cultural backgrounds, SES, and relationships are all factors that impact an individual’s physical activity levels. Young children who grow up in active households are more likely to become physically active when they are older and as they grow up due to their family’s encouragement. Not only this, but individuals who are surrounded by athletic people have an increased chance of staying active growing the chances of that individual getting injured during play. Because youth are heavily impacted by their social networks, peer education can play a large role in teenagers’ knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviours towards concussions and head injuries. For example, receiving head injuries or sustaining a concussion may be considered ‘not cool’ in a particular social network causing a lack of medical attention taken towards a potential concussion possibly leading to brain damage. “High school students experience the highest rates of concussion among all children and youth” and “their concussions are often under reported”, this could be because of a lack of self-efficacy, a fear of how their peers will react as well as concerns that reporting a concussion will not help. In Canada, concussed individuals aged 12 – 17 have “increased annually by 10.3% between 2004 and 2015.”
Physical
Physical factors include the natural and built-up environment, natural factors, availability and access to sport facilities, safety, and public transport. Whether available and accessible sport facilities are provided influences the amount of physical activity individuals participate in; Unsafe travel routes, slippery roads or expensive trips will prevent individuals from partaking in physical activity because the facilities are not easily accessible to the public. Not only this, facilities that are unsafe and do not provide appropriate protective gear and sporting equipment will lead to an increase in head injuries and concussions. The use of appropriate and properly fitted equipment is essential to reduce the risk of injuries. While serious head injuries are still possible while wearing a helmet, data proves that the severity of any head injury can be decreased majorly just by an individual wearing a helmet or any protective head gear. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “helmets can reduce head and brain injuries by 85 percent.”
Policies
Policies can help reduce the number of concussions and head injuries that individuals are experiencing on a much wider scale then individual, social, and physical factors. They refer to legislation, regulatory or policy making actions that have the potential to affect any physical activity. These are often formal legal actions taken by local, start or federal governments but can also be informal local policies or rules in settings such as school or workplaces. Many policies have been created to help decrease the amount of head injuries and concussions we see today as well as to decline the long-term impact it has on young athletes. For example, there was a statement published by the Concussion and Brain Health Position which was funded by the Australian Government that highlights important rules to ensure that participant safety and welfare is paramount when dealing with concussions in sport. The statement includes a conservative approach to concussion management requiring the individual to be symptom free for at least 1 days before returning to contact sport training, and a minimum of 21 days before returning to competitive contact. Without policies like this, individuals will struggle to understand how to treat concussions or any head injuries possibly causing long-term brain damage. As seen in competitive sports, protective gear is now becoming mandatory for athletes who compete in high contact sports overall decreasing the severity of head injuries.