UNTITLED CLINIC-BASED BICYCLE HELMET PROMOTON

 

 

OVERVIEW

A program consisting of a brief physician-led counseling session was developed for children and adolescents (5-18 years) to promote bicycle helmet use. In one research study, the counseling session was delivered in a physician's office as part of a routine healthcare visit; in another study, the counseling session was delivered in the emergency department (ED) following a bicycle-related injury. Participants received helmet promotion counseling along with take-home pamphlets. Separate evaluations of the office-based and ED-based sessions found no impact on purchasing a helmet three weeks after program completion.

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

 

Target population: Children and adolescents (5-18 years).

 

This untitled clinic-based bicycle helmet promotion program is a brief counseling session targeting children and adolescents to encourage bicycle helmet use. The counseling session is physician-led and includes a discussion of key facts about bicycle-related head injury and mortality. Key points highlighted include: "Last summer over 100 children with bike-related injuries were admitted to the hospital"; and, "Bike accidents are the leading cause of head injury in childhood." Physicians also convey their personal concerns of riding a bicycle without a helmet during the session. After the completion of the counseling session, participants are then provided with take-home pamphlets, which include a listing of local retail stores selling bicycle helmets as well as a Sprocket Man pamphlet to discuss bicycle and road safety. These sessions take place in a physician's office, during routine healthcare visits, as well as an emergency department among children presenting with injuries sustained from a bicycle crash; these programs were evaluated separately.

 

 

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

 

Cushman R, James W, Waclawik H. (1991). Physicians Promoting Bicycle Helmets for Children: A Randomized Trial. American Journal of Public Health, 81(8): 1044-1046.

 

Evaluated population: The study sample included 339 families, for a total of 576 children attending a physician's office for a routine healthcare visit. The mean child age was 9 years, and more than one-quarter of the sample (26%) already owned at least one bicycle helmet. These sessions occurred in Ottawa, Canada.

 

Approach: When arriving at the physician's office, children were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n=288) or to a no-treatment group (n=288). Families were assessed on whether they purchased a helmet after the intervention.

 

Results: At the three-week post-intervention, there was no impact on purchasing a helmet. The authors speculate this finding may have been due, in part, to a "co-intervention," where a social marketing campaign providing a $5 discount on bicycle helmets was simultaneously occurring.

 

 

Cushman R, Down J, MacMillan N, Waclawik H. (1991). Helmet Promotion in the Emergency Room Following a Bicycle Injury: A Randomized Trial. Pediatrics, 88(1): 43-47.

 

Evaluated population: The study included 334 children, with a mean age of 10 years, presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a bicycle-related injury; approximately two-thirds of participants (67%) were male, 14% of participants suffered a head injury, and 11% of participants were admitted to the hospital.

 

Approach: When arriving at the ED, children were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=161) or no-treatment control group (n=173). Children already owning a bicycle helmet were excluded from the study (n=39). Families were assessed on whether they purchased a helmet three weeks after the intervention.

 

Results: At the three-week post-intervention, there was no impact on purchasing a bicycle helmet.

 

 

 

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

For a link to a Sprocket Man pamphlet from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which was used in both programs, please visit: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/341.pdf

 

For a link to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's Consumer's guide to bicycle helmets, which was used in both programs, please visit: http://www.waba.org/areabiking/maps.php

 

 

References

Cushman R, Down J, MacMillan N, Waclawik H. (1991). Helmet Promotion in the Emergency Room Following a Bicycle Injury: A Randomized Trial. Pediatrics, 88(1): 43-47.

 

Cushman R, James W, Waclawik H. (1991). Physicians Promoting Bicycle Helmets for Children: A Randomized Trial. American Journal of Public Health, 81(8): 1044-1046.

 

 

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

 

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

 

Evaluated participant age: Children (3-11), Adolescents (12-17)

 

Program component: Clinic-based; Counseling/Therapy

 

Measured outcomes: Physical health

 

 

KEYWORDS: Children (3-11), Adolescents (12-17), Clinic-based, Counseling/Therapy; Helmet Use

 

 

Program information last updated on 9/29/09.

 

 

 

		© Child Trends 2003