Adolescent Bicycle Helmet Use: A Cross-Sectional Survey of 8 th Graders in Arlington County Virginia

TIMOTHY A. POWELL
Advisor, Saba W. Masho, M.D., Dr.P.H.

Purpose: This study identified the rate of bicycle helmet use, in a population of 8th grade students, every time they rode a bicycle.

Methods: A self-report cross-sectional survey of 684 8th grade students conducted during physical education classes in all Arlington County public schools during May of 2002. Logistic regression was utilized to identify risk factors for the outcome variable.

Results: The findings indicate only 18.4 % of Arlington County 8 graders wear a bicycle helmet every time they ride a bicycle. Males are 1.5 times more likely not to wear a helmet every time they ride than females, and minorities were 4.08, 7.42, and 11.55 times more likely than whites not to wear a helmet.

Conclusion: These data indicate that bicycle helmet use by adolescents, every time they ride a bicycle, is well below the National objective of 50%.