Bicycle Helmet Wearing Research Articles

Cycle helmets--when is legislation justified?

The issue of mandatory cycle helmets is highly contentious. The aim of this paper is not to argue for or against legislation but to suggest criteria on which the debate should focus. This is done by attempting to answer the question: 'What criteria must be met before cycle helmet wearing is enforced?' Consideration is given to principles, precedents and consequences and four criteria are suggested. The criteria are to do with effectiveness, personal liberty, public acceptability and the promotion of the public health benefits of cycling.

PATTERNS OF INJURY FROM MAJOR TRAUMA IN VICTORIA

Basic demographic and injury data were collected on all major trauma patients (ISS > 15) presenting to 25 Victorian hospitals over a 1 year period (March 1992-February 1993). A total of 1076 patients were identified with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15. Of these, 957 resulted from blunt trauma, 68 from penetrating trauma and 51 from burns. Most serious blunt injury was transport-related (n = 652) but falls made up a significant proportion (n = 206). The pattern of injury in blunt trauma demonstrated in this study showed a preponderance of serious head, thoracic and limb injuries with less frequent occurrences of abdominal, spine and facial injuries. In major penetrating trauma, serious injuries of the thorax and abdomen were more frequent. Head injury is the most common cause of morbidity in major trauma patients. Motor vehicle accidents caused the majority of head injuries but, proportionately, head injury was more common in pedal cycle, pedestrian, motorcycle injuries and falls. The low frequency of major abdominal trauma has important implications for surgical training and resource allocation. In Victoria, various injury prevention interventions have been introduced such as compulsory wearing of bicycle helmets, a safer home environment and behavioral modifications through advertising. Injury prevention strategies must continue to target the populations at risk and assess the impact of interventions by accurate injury surveillance.

Do conventional bicycle helmets provide adequate protection in mountain biking?

We present two cases of acute injury to the face and head sustained from off-road mountain biking despite the fact that the riders wore bicycle helmets. We reviewed the literature related to this topic and suggest that conventional bicycle helmets may be inappropriate for off-road use. Specifically, they lack an apparatus to protect the face in falls that involve this exposed area. In addition, current standards for bicycle helmets to protect the head were devised for road use and many presumptions are incomplete when applied to off-road use. Recommendations for application toward off-road use of current helmet design are made.

Cycle helmet wearing in teenagers--do health beliefs influence behaviour?

Cycle helmet wearing in teenagers--do health beliefs influence behaviour?

Association Between Bicycle Helmet Legislation, Bicycle Safety Education, and Use of Bicycle Helmets in Children

To determine the association between bicycle helmet legislation and bicycle safety education and the use of bicycle helmets by children under age 16 years. Anonymous questionnaire and direct observations of bicycle helmet use. Four predominantly white, upper-middle class suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. All students in grades 1 through 7 attending public school on the day of the survey and children riding bicycles in a direct observational study. Beachwood had bicycle helmet legislation and safety education. Orange had only bicycle helmet legislation. Pepper Pike and Moreland Hills did not have bicycle helmet legislation or safety education. In Beachwood, 416 (67.6%) of 615 children who owned a bicycle reported always wearing their helmets, and 72 (85%) of 85 children directly observed were wearing bicycle helmets. In Orange, 103 (37.2%) of 277 children who owned bicycles reported always wearing helmets, whereas 41 (17.9%) of 229 children in Moreland Hills and 78 (21.5%) of 362 children in Pepper Pike reported always wearing helmets. Helmet use was significantly (P < .001) higher in Beachwood, with legislation and education, than in the other communities; helmet use was significantly (P < .001) higher in Orange, with legislation alone, than in Moreland Hills and Pepper Pike, with no programs. There was a dramatic association between reports of increased helmet use and bicycle helmet legislation plus education; the association was stronger than that found with legislation only.

Childhood injury: A current perspective

The majority of childhood injuries requiring admission are due to traffic-related injury, falls, and burns. Many of these injuries are preventable. In the case of the unpreventable, unintentional injury, the natural history of the injury and outcome can be altered by adherence to established safety standards. New standards also need to be set. There is definitely room for improvement in vehicular restraint systems for the smaller and younger passengers. It is known that wearing bicycle helmets, using safety belts, securing firearms in the home, and controlling hot water heater temperature levels will prevent or lessen injury in children. This information is being promulgated to communities by activities such as the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, a program of Children's National Medical Center sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and the National Safety Council. This campaign emphasizes important aspects of childhood injury: scope, causes, and prevention. Questions about the most devastating of childhood injuries, child abuse and assault related to violent crime, are more complex and the answers elusive. The study of patterns of injury in children highlights the need to implement new strategies aimed at prevention. At the same time, valuable information is obtained about specific injuries and responses seen in children that set them apart from adults.

The Introduction of Compulsory Bicycle Helmet Wearing in Victoria

The Introduction of Compulsory Bicycle Helmet Wearing in Victoria

Empowering school students in developing strategies to increase bicycle helmet wearing.

This paper outlines a 2 year community-based action research program to develop strategies for increasing bicycle helmet wearing by children from a rural town in Queensland, Australia. The results of six program components are provided: student observations, focus groups (n = 50), baseline survey (n = 565), student workshops (n = 80), meeting with student representatives (n = 4) and helmet trialing program (n = 17). The children were encouraged to become active participants in the research and to develop practical strategies to increase helmet wearing. The main barriers to helmet wearing reported were poor design and peer group derision. The majority of children never wore a helmet and only 7% wore one whenever bicycle riding. Strategies suggested to make helmets more acceptable were: develop more comfortable and fashionable designs, and lower helmet costs. Students taking part in the baseline survey and workshops disagreed that helmet wearing should be compulsory; however, in later workshops and focus groups students said this was the only sure way of getting students to wear helmets. The program was not evaluated because of the non-interventionist strategy recommended by the students and the introduction of compulsory helmets. However, the project demonstrated that action research can be successfully used with children.

How can physicians get kids to wear bicycle helmets? A prototypic challenge in injury prevention.

How can physicians get kids to wear bicycle helmets? A prototypic challenge in injury prevention. C W Runyan, and D K RunyanCopyRight https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.81.8.972 Published Online: October 07, 2011