Helmet Design: From Biomechanics to Health & Social Disparities in Sports

This textbook provides a multidisciplinary description of helmet design with applications to all sports. The biomechanical design parameters for helmets are presented in the broader context of health and social disparities. Students will investigate different materials and padding designs relative to head impact biomechanics. Through reasoning in the social sciences the class investigates how sex and gender roles have shaped sports and their individual helmet design disparities. A critical analysis of equity relative to race and healthcare is analyzed as it pertains to helmets and concussion treatments and outcomes. Demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of helmet design and how ethical reasoning and social constructs have shaped the industry. Hands-on educational activities will be implemented during class sessions to complement topics discussed in lectures.

Upon completion of this textbook you will accomplish the following:

• Interpret the foundational principles used to design helmets that reduce concussion risk.

• Quantify helmet performance through laboratory testing across a range of sports including those designed for domestic and international markets.

• Understand the economics of the design cycle to bring a product to market.

• Compare the complex social dynamics of sex and gender, how sporting helmet designs are varied by gender based on traditional social constructs, and the ethical implications of these decisions.

• Analyze the role of race and healthcare disparities on concussion treatment and recovery.

• Examine the ethical issues behind race-norming of concussion cognitive testing and its financial implication for retired athletes.

• Distinguish differences between helmet performance in different sports and environments and how these differences affect the risk of concussion and the ethical implications of organizational decisions around helmet use by sex and gender.