Abstract
The breasts are a barrier to female participation in physical activity. Breast and bra issues are prevalent in female horse riders. Wearing a sports bra can minimise these issues, but many do not exclusively wear one for horse-riding. This study investigated the impact of live online breast educational talks on subsequent self-perception of knowledge and understanding. Two online surveys (GoogleForms™), one immediately pre-talk and one immediately post-talk, were created to assess perceived impact. Talks consisted of five sections: breast anatomy; types of sports bras; breast issues in relation to exercise; breast issues specifically related to horse riders and importance of increasing awareness in the horse-riding community. Four educational talks were delivered to different groups of college and university students (n=67) studying equine courses. Completed pre- and post-talk surveys (40 female, 2 male) were analysed using a generalised linear model and post hoc Tukey tests. Comfort talking to others about breast health issues increased significantly after the talks, particularly for larger breasted (≥ D cup) participants (p=0.032). Knowledge of bra fit, breast support and breast pain significantly increased (p<0.01) post-talk, particularly in those who had not previously experienced breast pain whilst horse riding (p≥0.001). The intervention was successful at increasing participant understanding and knowledge of breast health issues, although different educational tools such as access to online resources or in-person talks may prove beneficial to equestrians to further increase comfort in broaching breast health issues with peers and support networks in future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 30-36 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | International Journal of Equine Science |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Mar 2024 |
Keywords
- Horse rider
- breast issues
- stigma
- education