Impact of a comprehensive safety program on bicycle helmet use among middle-school children

Abstract

A bicycle helmet program was evaluated in three middle schools using a multiple baseline across schools design. Two of the three schools had histories of enforcement of helmet use. During baseline many students riding their bikes to and from school did not wear their helmets or wore them incorrectly. A program that consisted of peer data collection of correct helmet use, education on how to wear a bicycle helmet correctly, peer goal setting, public posting of the percentage of correct helmet use, and shared reinforcers, all of which were implemented by the school resource officer, increased afternoon helmet use and afternoon correct helmet use in all three schools. Probe data collected a distance from all three schools indicated that students did not remove their helmets once they were no longer in close proximity to the school, and probe data collected in the morning at two of the schools showed that the behavior change transferred to the morning.

Figure 1

The percentage of students wearing bicycle helmets at all three middle schools. The last 4 days of the helmet program at Riviera were after the party, as was the last day of the helmet program at Meadowlawn. Gray diamonds show the percentage of helmet use during the distance probes taken after school. Gray triangles show the percentage of helmet use during the morning probes.

Figure 2

The percentage of students wearing bicycle helmets correctly at all three middle schools. The last 4 days of the helmet program at Riviera were after the party, as was the last day of the helmet program at Meadowlawn. Gray diamonds show the percentage of helmet use during the distance probes taken after school. Gray triangles show the percentage of helmet use during the morning probes.