Differences in sports activity participation and sports safety awareness based on the severity of an injury experienced among Korean men

This study aimed to identify differences in sports participation and sports safety awareness based on the severity of an injury experienced among Korean men. To achieve this, the data of 1484 men were extracted from the 2019 Sports Safety Accident Survey conducted by the Korea Sports Safety Foundation. We used data on the characteristics of the study population, variables related to sports participation (exercise frequency, duration, the use of dedicated sports facilities and the duration of injury treatment), and variables related to sports safety awareness (the awareness of sports safety rules, perceived importance of sports safety, completion of injury prevention training, and purchase of insurance with injury coverage). The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s test (post-hoc test). The results showed that no differences existed in exercise frequency and duration depending on the severity of the injury experienced (p > 0.05), but there were differences in the use of dedicated sports facilities (p = 0.010) and the duration of injury treatment (p < 0.001). The results also showed that there were differences in the awareness of sports safety rules (p = 0.004), perceived importance of sports safety (p < 0.001), completion of injury prevention training (p < 0.001), and purchase of insurance with injury coverage (p < 0.001). Overall, the results showed that the severity of the injury experienced affects sports safety awareness among men who have experienced injuries. There is a need to provide education on sports safety and implement programs on sports injuries and sports safety to increase awareness of sports safety, especially among men who have not experienced a sports injury.

Injury experience; Injury prevention; Physical activity; Safety awareness; Sports prevention; Sports safety

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