Table 4.

Responses to question ‘How can you avoid a concussion?’

Code	n (%)	Examples (age, sex)
Follow the rules	5, (25.0)	‘Don’t fool around’—(8, F) ‘By playing safe’—(7, M) ‘Not play a sport, except when you’re supposed to’—(7, F) ‘By not running’—(7, M) ‘Asking if I can play older kid games’—(7, M) ‘Not playing things where you could get hit on the head’—(7, M)
Shoes	3, (10.0)	‘Don’t wear shoes that are too big for you’—(8, F) ‘Be careful where you step when you’re wearing soccer cleats’—(8, M) ‘Check your laces to make sure they’re tied’—(8, M)
Pay attention/be careful	9, (45.0)	‘Be aware of your surroundings when playing sports’—(8, M) ‘Be careful when playing sports’—(8, F) ‘Look where you are going’— (8, M) ‘Only do things you know how to do, don’t try risky stuff’— (8, M) ‘Paying attention’— (7, M) ‘Not playing things where you get hit on the head.’—(7, M) ‘Trying not to fall’— (6, F)
Avoid being hit by objects	8, (40.0)	‘Don’t let people throw rocks at you’,—(7, M) ‘Stop things from hitting you on the head’—(7, M) ‘Cover my head with my hand’—(7, F) ‘Ducking when the baseball is going to get thrown at my head’—(7, M) ‘Move’—8, M
Avoid hitting objects	3, (15.0)	‘Don’t run into people’— (8, M) ‘When you are playing football, don’t ram your head into a guy’—(8, M) ‘If you’re playing basketball, jumping up in front of the ball, or even just jumping up when you’re trying to dunk, boom, [you] hit your head on the hoop’—(8, M)
Helmet use	4, (20.0)	‘Wear a helmet when I’m playing sports’—(7, M) ‘If you have a helmet on, keep it on’— (6, M) ‘If you’re playing hockey without a helmet don’t try to be like a pro NHL hockey player’—(8, M)