Bicycle helmets...to wear or not to wear them? Parental perceptions and attitudes concerning helmet use by children, in Figueira da Foz municipality, 2015 (Portugal)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/1647-7723_32-1_8Keywords:
Bicycle, helmet, accident, prevention, traumatic brain injury, parents and guardians (carers).Abstract
There is growing concern about the impact of traumatic brain injuries in bicycle accidents. In recognition of the crucial importance of parents and guardians (carers) in the adoption of safety behaviours, we carried out a study to understand their perceptions and attitudes about helmet use by their children, in Figueira da Foz. A sample of 149 parents/guardians of children who rode a bicycle was enrolled, registered with and users of the child and adolescent health clinic (5-6 years old) in Figueira da Foz’s Health Centre, in 2015. A questionnaire was used to measure motivation for using bicycles and helmets. In order to identify predictors to helmet use the independent variables were included in a multiple logistic regression analysis model and the adjusted Odds Ratios were calculated. Most parents/guardians (90.5 %) considered the helmet the most important item of equipment for their child to wear when cycling. However, the reasons for not having a helmet were ‘only rides a bicycle few times’, ‘I’ve never thought about that’, and ‘it’s not necessary’. The overall rate of helmet use by the children is 57.7 %. Helmet use by parents/guardians (carers) was identified as the main determining factor for its use by the child (aOr:12.8; IC95 %:3.87-42.34; p<0.05). The positive influence of parents/guardians on children's use of helmets is clear, and they play a fundamental role in encouraging it. Family health teams could have significant influence on parents while counselling them about injury prevention and helmet use.
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