Hi All
Has anyone completed the following survey ?
What are peoples thoughts/ideas on the survey and end result ?
Wet and Wild: assessing injuries among recreational water users
INFORMATION SHEET
What’s it all about?
There has been a huge rise in the number of people taking up kite surfing, water skiing, and jet skiing in the last few years. As a consequence, the number of injuries among these water users may also have increased but in Western Australia the rate of injuries is not known. We are researchers at the Schools of Population Health and Sport Science, Exercise and Health at the University of Western Australia who are looking at injuries among kite surfers, water skiers, and jet ski riders. This project is a pilot study to identify the range of injuries and intends to:
(a) explore and describe the risks and protective factors associated with injury, including safety and training practices, among kite surfers, water skiers, and jet ski riders in WA; and
(b) identify, describe, and compare injury incidence among kite surfers, water skiers, and jet ski riders aged 17 years and over.
Using the information from this study we will be able to identify strategies that can help to protect kite surfers, water skiers, and jet skiers from injury.
How are we going to do it?
We will use a web-based survey to ask questions about how long you have been active in your water sport, the places you go to practise/compete, the types of equipment you use, what you do before/during your activity, and information about any injuries you have had within the last year as a result of your water activity.
We are recruiting kite surfers, water skiers, and jet skiers, who use metropolitan and Peel region waters, who are aged over 17 years, and who have been involved with their activity for at least one year. If you agree to participate in the study, we will ask you to sign a consent form and provide us with a contact telephone number. We will ring you a week later to find out if you are still interested in taking part in the study. If you decide to opt out at this point, we will make no further contact with you. If you choose to continue with the study, we will ask for an email address to send you information about completing the online survey.
When we email you, we will include a web address and a validation code. The validation code is the only way you will be identified in the survey. Your name, phone number, email address, and any other identification details will not be included in the final survey data. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
After you complete the online survey, you will be entered into a prize draw to win vouchers for a water sport shop specific to your activity. We will contact you up to three times, either by email or phone, to remind you to complete the questionnaire. Once you have completed the survey or we have reminded you three times, we will not make any further contact with you and your participation in the study will have ended. If you would like, we can send you the results of the study.
Why have we asked you?
You have been asked to participate because you are a kite surfer, a water skier, or a jet skier. We are recruiting people who have participated in these activities for at least a year and are over the age of 17 years.
If you choose to participate, you do so voluntarily and may withdraw without reason or prejudice at any stage of the study. Although there is a low risk that the information you supply may be subpoenaed, we will not link any identifying information with your responses and the results of the study will not be published in any way that identifies you as an individual participant. All the information provided will be treated as strictly confidential and kept in a password protected computer within the School of Population Health at UWA, in accordance with government guidelines.
The results from this pilot study will be published in journals and presented to WA government agencies so that all the relevant water safety organisations can help in protecting kite surfers, water skiers, and jet skiers from injury.
What’s in it for you?
By completing the survey you will go into the draw to win a $50 voucher from a water sports shop. The information you provide will help us to build knowledge about the sort of injuries sustained by kite surfers, water skiers, and jet boat riders. The results from this study will be used to develop strategies to reduce the risk of injury for people participating in these activities.
What’s the small print?
No nasty small print! You are free to withdraw from further participation at any stage of the study and without prejudice in any way. You need give no reason or justification for such a decision. If you do withdraw, any records relating to you will be destroyed unless you agree otherwise.
The ethics approval for this study, obtained from the UWA Human Research Ethics Committee, protects you as a participant. If you would like to discuss anything about this survey, please contact Dr Terri Pikora on 08 6488 7057 or Dr Rebecca Braham on 08 6488 2365. If you would like to discuss this research with a person outside the study team, please contact Ms Kate Kirk (Secretary, Human Research Ethics Committee) at UWA on 08 6488 3703.
Any questions?
If you would like any more information about this study, please ask! Contact Catherine Hill (Research Assistant for the project) at the School of Population Health, UWA either by phone (08 6488 1305) or email (catherine.hill@uwa.edu.au).
CONSENT FORM
Wet and Wild study: assessing injuries among recreational water users
I, ___________________________________________ (print name) have read the information provided and any questions I have asked have been answered to my satisfaction. I agree to participate in this activity, realising that I may withdraw at any time without reason and without prejudice.
I understand that all information provided is treated as strictly confidential and will not be released by the investigator. The only exception to this principle of confidentiality is if documents are required by law. I have been advised as to what data is being collected, what the purpose is, and what will be done with the data upon completion of the research.
I agree that research data gathered for the study may be published provided my name or other identifying information is not used.
______________ __________________
Participant Date
The Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Western Australia requires that all participants are informed that, if they have any complaint regarding the manner in which a research project is conducted, it may be given to the researcher or alternatively to the Secretary, Human Research Ethics Committee Registrar’s Office, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 (telephone number 6488 3707). All study participants will be provided with a copy of the Information Sheet and a copy of the Consent Form for their personal records.
Should you have any questions regarding the study please contact:
Ms Catherine Hill (Research Assistant for the project) on 6488 1305 or
Dr Terri Pikora on 6488 7057 or
Dr Rebecca Braham on 6488 2365.
Just what we need, some university kook telling the government about all these dangerous things that happen to us so they can regulate us.... correct me if im wrong here but regulating us is the only thing they could do to help "keep us safe"...
Or have I got this thing all wrong?
come on guys fair game, lets all fill in this survey and for each answer politely say F@CK OFF YA W@NKER and get a real job. teach university students at a young age that any survey that can damage a sport is a bad idea then boot them in the head multiple times until they can remember what the lesson of the day was.
didnt we get this form at the waksa general committee meeting?
If i remember correctly
Well well
I think Ive got a ripper to start this survey on how stupid people INJURE others because of their lack of common sense !!!!
To change anything in this world, it is always better to start in your own back yard.
Yeah sounds reasonable 
doesnt it
If there so interested in how best to avoid injury - why the Fark (behind UWA)have they put up a sign post, smack in the middle of PELICAN POINTS small kite launching area that says "dogs must be kept on a leash"
add 20 knots and Wam - someones gona get hurt 
Honestly - What pack of freaken idots thought this was a bonza idea - Damn fools.
Report that to the DPI - if they cant move the sign to a safer point, then it will prove just how interested they really are in dogs .... Woof 
Only the paranoid would think a Uni. survey is part of a government plot to regulate kiting.
The school of population health is part of the medical school, so I bet they're far more interested in injuries you GET than injuries you GIVE.
For example, if they found that windsurfing and kiting DECREASED back injuries and pain ('cos we keep our back muscles toned). They'd love it, and definitely get their paper published in some medical journal.
Then we'd have a bloody good excuse to kite: "Honey, I'm just off to do my kiting pilates". You could probably even get a med certificate out of it. "__________ needed to miss school/work for the past 3 days because they were receiving treatment for their medical condition".
So do the survey and tell 'em you got some blisters, but kiting has fixed your crook back ;-)
If you're a designated driver for your mates at the pub, does that make you a 'recreational water user'? 
D
D_M79 -- Brilliant 
Years back I ran S/W in ERs. The record taking had to be meticulous - funding depended on it. At the end of the year we collated and formatted a sub-set of data for accident analysis at a local Uni' - (across all the state and then merged into a national census). This is where the regulations for swimming pool fences came from, bike helmets, safety rails and advice on bunk beds yarda yarda yarda.
I would have to look back through some dusty archives but there were (are) alot of categories one being for location (i.e. garden, beach, shed, at sea, etc), one for activety (driving, skiing, gardening, home maintenance, etc) etc..
I reckon the survey people could fairly easily get a reasonable sample by analysing existing data and even requesting a few specific data elements be added to the ER data bases in WA.
Alot of effort starting from scratch - and what numbers of accidents to you need to become significant - a bit of a lemon...
Now is this proof of a vegan cat or an accident waiting to happen?
I'm sure your intentions are noble with the survey and want to make the sport safer but the powers that be will use data like this to regulate us out of existence.
Any sport is much safer if it doesn't exist.
Also, I'm not sure this is not just part of someones Masters thesis and haven't considered the consequences of publishing controversal findings. After all, what good is a survey if the findings are benign . Be careful what you wish for.
Interestingly enough the survey has popped up in DPI propaganda right next to a picture of the minister for transport. What will his legacy be once he gets the boot, he will be responsible for the full overhaul of all rules governing water sports in this state. Theres already a trial in place for tow surfing using jetskis till 2010, based on the NSW model. Lets see what part of the survey DPI will refer to when they decide to try and police kiting. Good thing is DPI isnt resourced to really be worried about. When is the last time you seen a Marine officer busting a jetski for reckless operation? 
