Rates of, and the factors affecting, cycle helmet use among secondary schoolchildren in East Sussex and Kent

Abstract

Objectives-To assess the level of cycle helmet wearing among young people in two counties in the South East of England in 1994, and to identify the factors associated with helmet wearing. Design-Cross sectional survey in a convenience sample. Setting-Secondary schools in East Sussex and Kent. Subjects-Students in year 7 (aged 10-12 years) and year 11 (aged 14-16 years). Main outcome measures-Self reported "always wears a helmet". Results-Among those who ride a bicycle, 32% of boys and 29% of girls aged 10-12 years, and 14% of boys and 10% of girls aged 14-16, reported that they always wear helmets. The variables that were most consistently associated with helmet wearing (that is significantly associated with helmet wearing in at least five of the six age, sex, and county subgroups) were: "parental encouragement to wear a helmet", "closest friend wears a helmet", "belief that laws that make children wear helmets are good", and "sometimes rides oV-road". Conclusions-The self reported rates of always wearing a cycle helmet in East Sussex and Kent are consistent with overseas findings for populations who had not been exposed to intensive helmet promotion. The evidence suggests that parental encouragement has a favourable eVect on rates of cycle helmet use among secondary schoolchildren, which is separate from and additional to peer influences. When designing a helmet promotion programme, therefore, it will have added impact if both parents and children are addressed. (Injury Prevention 1998;4:106-110)

Factors associated with bicycle-helmet use among 8–16 years aged Turkish children: a questionnaire survey

“…The findings of this study showed that self-reported bicycle helmet use was alarmingly low (4.4%) among children at a predominantly low and mid-income school. This rate was lower than in several international studies, despite the rates of helmet wearing by bicycle riders being lower than desirable in International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion 371 these studies also (Bernstein, Harper, Pardi, & Christopher, 2003;Clements, 2005;Coffman, 2003;Cryer et al, 1998;Fischer et al, 2012;Forjuoh, Fiesinger, Schuchmann, & Mason, 2002;Kakefuda et al, 2009;Karkhaneh et al, 2006;Karkhaneh et al, 2011;Khambalia et al, 2005;Klein et al, 2005;Lee et al, 2009;O'Callaghan & Nausbaum, 2006;Page et al, 2012;Ross et al, 2011). Several factors may explain this low rate of helmet use among 8-16 year old Turkish children.…”

“…Several studies have reported that factors, such as bicycle helmet laws, age, gender, race, income, level of education among household members, environment, role modelling, parental education, perception of the risks of bicycle-related head injuries by the child and parent, and knowledge about bicycle safety are associated with bicycle helmet use (Berg & Westerling, 2001;Cryer et al, 1998;Davis, Kirsch, & Pullen, 2003;Dellinger & Kresnow, 2010;Klein et al, 2005;Loubeau, 2000;O'Callaghan & Nausbaum, 2006;Ross et al, 2011). Understanding the factors that predict helmet use is essential for encouraging helmet use.…”

Inequalities in cycle helmet use: cross sectional survey in schools in deprived areas of Nottingham

“…The first found 30% of 11 year olds reported always wearing a helmet, 3 very similar to our findings. The second study found that 64% of helmet owners reported wearing them always or nearly always, 16 higher than that found in our study.…”

“…How this study compares to other studies Two previous UK surveys in children of a similar age to our study population found helmet ownership rates of 69% in East Sussex 3 and 58% in South Staffordshire, 16 higher than the 52% found in our study. The first found 30% of 11 year olds reported always wearing a helmet, 3 very similar to our findings.…”

Predicting Bicycle Helmet Wearing Intentions and Behavior among Adolescents

“…Previous research has identified numerous factors related to helmet use among adolescents, including past helmet use behavior (Quine, Rutter, & Arnold, 1998;Seijts, Kok, Bouter, & Klip, 1995), role modeling, parental encouragement, (Cryer et al, 1998;Lajunen & Rasanen, 2001), attitudes (Berg & Westerling, 2001;Cryer et al, 1998;Rodgers, 2000), and having friends who use helmets (Cryer et al, 1998;Lajunen & Rasanen, 2001). Furthermore, safety considerations (Berg & Westerling, 2001;Finch, 1996), compulsory helmet wearing by law (Sutton, 1994), and educational campaigns (Ashby, Routley, & Stathakis, 1998;Brewer et al, 1995) have been associated with increased use of helmets.…”