Associations Between Childhood Bicycle Helmet Use, Current Use, and Family and Community Factors Among College Students

Abstract

Bicycle helmet use from elementary school to high school was examined using retrospective reports collected from 166 students at a university in northern Colorado. Bicycle helmet use in elementary school was a common practice, especially among students born after 1980. However, a rapid decline in bicycle helmet use in junior high school and high school was reported. Students with higher perceived norm of family bicycle helmet use wore helmets more often in junior high school and high school than students with a low family norm. Growing up in the bicycle-friendly community was positively associated with consistent bicycle helmet use.

Parenting Influences on Bicycle Helmet Rules and Estimations of Children's Helmet Use

“…Our finding that expectations were higher for beginning riders than experienced riders mirrors prior research demonstrating helmet rules decline as children age (Berg & Westerling, 2001). Actual use declining with age is supported by prior studies as well (Berg & Westerling, 2001;Kakefuda et al, 2009). Parents appear to be consistent across children, as those with two or more children had very similar responses to questions about what percentage of the time each child wears a helmet.…”

“…Miller, Binns, and Christoffel (1996) found consistent helmet use was very common (88%) among children who reported their parents had strict rules, whereas children who reported either a partial rule or no rule at all were much less likely to consistently wear a helmet (19%). Similarly, college students who currently wear a helmet had stronger recollections of parental rules or norms for helmet use growing up, compared with peers who do not wear a helmet (Kakefuda, Henry, & Stallones, 2009;T. P. Ross, Ross, Rahman, & Cataldo, 2010).…”

“…These rates mirrored rates of actual use, as only 27% of the 12 year olds and only 1% of the 15 year olds reported helmet use. Others note that helmet use declines rapidly around middle school (Kakefuda et al, 2009). It is unclear whether parental helmet rules become weaker before or after children stop wearing one.…”

Bicycle helmet use among children in the United States: The effects of legislation, personal and household factors

“…This may include changing community norms. As Kakefuda, Henry, and Stallones (2009) note, bicycle helmet wearing is a visible behavior and observing more bicycle riders with helmets may help support children's helmet use.…”

A Review of Unintentional Injuries in Adolescents

“…Significantly more males than females never or rarely wore a helmet (34,48). Peer pressure, negative modeling by family members, and community climate are some of the factors related to nonuse (50,54). Building a culture of safety for seat belts and helmet-wearing among adolescents will be one of the future challenges (86).…”