Correlates and Barriers Associated with Motorcycle Helmet Use in Wa, Ghana

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the correlates and barriers to helmet use among motorcycle riders in Wa, a motorcycle-predominant town in Ghana. An additional objective was to determine the association between helmet use and riders' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward helmets.

Methods: Cross-sectional surveys including both observation of helmet use and interviews were conducted among motorcycle riders at 6 randomly selected fuel stations and 4 motorcycle service centers within and outside the Central Business District of Wa. Questions covered riders' sociodemographic and riding characteristics, helmet use, reasons for use or nonuse of helmets, and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about helmets. Analyses were based on frequencies and testing of strength of association using adjusted odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) in binary logistic regression.

Results: The prevalence of helmet use among the 271 sampled riders was 46% (95% confidence interval [CI], 40.2–52.0). Gender, age, marital status, and occupation were significant sociodemographic correlates of helmet use in Wa. Compared to currently married riders, unmarried riders were 5 times less likely to use a helmet. No significant association existed between riders' educational attainment and helmet use. Helmet use was also positively correlated with helmet ownership and license holding. The leading reasons stated for helmet nonuse among nonusers were not traveling a long distance and helmets block vision and hearing. Protection from injury, legal requirement, and coping with the police for fear of being accosted for helmet nonuse were identified as common reasons for helmet use. Positive attitudes and beliefs were also significantly correlated with helmet use.

Conclusions: Despite the existence of a legislation mandating the use of helmets on all roads as well as the high level of awareness among riders on this legislation and the benefits of helmets, the incidence of helmet use among motorists continue to be low in Wa, Ghana. This means that efforts to identify strategies to increase helmet use need to continue. The evidence provided by this study suggests that stakeholders in road safety need to put in interventions to ensure a rigorous enforcement of the helmet use legislation and improvement in helmet design. These should be combined with the development of targeted educational programs with the aim of changing unfavorable attitudes and beliefs toward helmet use.

Keywords:

• motorcycle riders
• attitudes
• factors
• helmet
• legislation
• northern Ghana

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge with gratitude the contribution of the research assistants from the Department of Planning and Management of the University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana, who worked tirelessly to conduct the observations and interviews for this study. The inputs from the anonymous reviewers are also appreciated.