Department of Social Medicine

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine young people´s assessment of danger in certain situation-related activities and to provide a picture of customary patterns of behaviour with regard to use of safety equipment. The study is based on a survey conducted in Greater Stockholm, Sweden. A questionnaire concerning health-related habits and living conditions was presented to a stratified random sample of full classes of pupils from grade 5 (pupils aged 11-12), 7 (pupils aged 13-14) and 9 (pupils aged 15-16). The results show that a considerable proportion of young people rate certain risk-related activities as very or quite dangerous. Pupils´ utilisation of safety equipment items, however, varies substantially among the activities. Both risk judgement and safety-equipment use are related to age. The study also shows that girls are more often than boys inclined to regard the activities presented as dangerous. The rate of use of safety equipment items, however, is approximately the same among boys as among girls. This study shows that young people have a high level of risk awareness, and also that their danger assessments are not necessarily related to how they actually manage hazardous situations. Rather than investing in general warnings and campaigns, the findings of this study suggest thet it may be more fruitful to develop preventive strategies based on the risk-generating situations and environments to which young people are exposed.

Keywords

Adolescents, Risk, Safety-equipment, Performance

Contact

Hasselberg Marie

Institution

Department of Social Medicine

Postaddress

Nationella tillsynsenheten, Socialstyrelsen

City

SE-106 30 Stockholm

Country

Sweden

E-mail

marie.hasselberg@sos.se

Phone

+ 46 8 783 33 94

Fax

+ 46 8 783 30 50