Economic Disparity in Bicycle Helmet Use by Children Six Years after the Introduction of Legislation

Few studies have addressed the long term effect of helmet legislation on bicycle helmet use. This study examines bicycle helmet use by children six years after the introduction of an Ontario law mandating the use of bicycle helmets by children younger than 18 years old. The influence of area level family income on helmet use is also investigated. The East York (Toronto) health district (population 107,822) was divided into income areas (designated as low, mid, and high) based on census tract data from Statistics Canada. Child cyclists were observed at 111 preselected sites (schools, parks, residential streets, and major intersections) from April to October in the years 1995–1997, 1999, and 2001. The frequency of helmet use was determined by year, income area, location, and sex. Stratified analysis was used to quantify the relation between income area and helmet use, after controlling for sex and bicycling location. Results indicate that bicycle helmet use in the study population increased from a pre-legislation level of 45% in 1995 to 68% in 1997, then decreased to 46% by 2001. Helmet use increased in all three income areas from 1995 to 1997, and remained above pre-legislation rates in high income areas (85% in 2001). In 2001, six years post-legislation, the proportion of helmeted cyclists in mid and low income areas had returned to pre-legislation levels (50% and 33%, respectively). After adjusting for sex and location, children riding in high income areas were significantly more likely to ride helmeted than children in low income areas across all years. These findings indicate that the effectiveness of bicycle helmet legislation varies by income area over the long term and that additional strategies beyond legislation may be necessary to sustain bicycle helmet use among children in mid and low income areas.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13538047
• Authors:
  • Macpherson, A K
  • Macarthur, C
  • To, T M
  • Chipman, M L
  • Wright, J G
  • Parkin, P C
• Publication Date: 2006-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 231-235
• Serial:
  • Injury Prevention
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
  • ISSN: 1353-8047
  • EISSN: 1475-5785
  • Serial URL: http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycle helmets; Children; Compliance; Evaluation and assessment; Helmet use; Legislation; Low income groups; Middle income groups; Upper income groups
• Uncontrolled Terms: Long term behavior
• Geographic Terms: Toronto (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01033458
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 29 2006 10:37AM