Predicting safety beliefs in sports: the role of risk perception, safety attitudes and support among football players

Sports safety attitudes and beliefs play a crucial role in fostering a secure environment for athletes, influencing decision-making, problem-solving strategies, and overall safety culture. This study investigates the relationship between risk perception, safety attitudes, sources of support and types of support on the importance of safety beliefs among PDRM football players participating in the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Cup Football Championship. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employe and data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 138 participants. The questionnaire included sections on risk perception, safety attitudes, sources of support, types of support and safety beliefs, with responses analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results indicate that risk perception (B = 0.301, p < 0.001), source of support (B = 0.149, p = 0.003), and type of support (B = 0.232, p < 0.001) significantly positively predict safety beliefs, while safety attitudes showed a negative association (B = -0.384, p < 0.001). The assumptions of linearity, normality, homoscedasticity and multicollinearity were tested to ensure the validaty of the regression model. Risk perception emerged as the strongest predictor, highlighting the critical influence of hazard awareness on safety beliefs. These findings portray that PDRM officers have certain beliefs and perceptions concerning injury risk. This new information could be used to inform future safety initiatives in this important setting for health, physical activity and sports among amateur football players. These findings highlight the need for targeted safety education programs to align attitudes with actual safety behaviors. Future research should explore longitudinal assessments of safety interventions, the role of organizational safety culture and the psychological factors influencing risk perception.