Sociodemographic, Toxicological, and Lifestyle Characteristics of Seat Belt Users in a Nationally Representative Sample of US High School Students: Results from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Abstract

Background Seat belts prevent death and serious injury in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), but in 2015, 47% of drivers ages 15 to 19 who died in a crash were unrestrained. Attempts to increase teenage belt use have included high-visibility enforcement (e.g. primary seat belt laws and graduated driver licensing), but limited research exists regarding lifestyle behaviors associated with regular belt use among young drivers. The objective of this study is to explore the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors associated with regular seat belt use among US high school students. Methods Data were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative sample of US high school students. The YRBS assessed seat belt use as a passenger and other lifestyle behaviors during the 30 days before the survey, for 15,561 high school students. Seat belt use was coded into a dichotomous variable (regular/always v. irregular). Chi-square tests examined bivariate associations between regular seat belt use, demographic variables, and the prevalence of the following healthy lifestyle behaviors: hours of sleep, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, illegal prescription drug use, physical activity, and regular vegetable and water consumption. Results The prevalence of regular seat belt use during the 30 days before the survey was 61%. Regular belt use was more prevalent in males (χ2=3.97; degrees of freedom=1; p=.046), positively associated with age (χ2=43.82; df=6; p Conclusions High school students who reported regularly wearing their seat belts were mostly male, older, White, and had no alcohol or drug use. This study also suggests that a diverse range of healthy lifestyle behaviors are associated with a higher proportion of regular seat belt use. Encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviors in students, particularly those who drive, may positively influence traffic safety behaviors, including regular seat belt use.