The frequency of bicycle helmet use among college students and health beliefs for bicycle helmet attitude

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of bicycle helmet use among college students and health beliefs about bicycle helmet attitude. Participants: Turkish university students (n = 799). Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted over the period 2019. A sociodemographic and cycling related questionnaire form and the Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale were used in the data collection. Descriptive statistics, t-test, Anova and Kruskal Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. Results: Only 10.4% of students wear a bicycle helmet. Students who using bicycle helmets had higher benefit health belief scores compared to those who didn’t, while barrier health belief scores were lower. There is a significant relationship between health belief scores for bicycle helmet attitude and gender, obeying traffic rules, thinking about helmet (unnecessary/disturbing/expensive/ridiculous) and helmet use. Conclusion: In this study, the frequency of using bicycle helmets is very low.

Keywords:

• Bicycle helmets
• injury prevention
• college student
• attitude
• health belief

Author contributions

Study conception and design: E. K., A. K.; Data collection: E. K.; Data analysis and interpretation: E. K., A. K.; Drafting of the article: E. K., A. K.; Critical revision of the article: E. K., A. K.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of Turkey and received approval from the Pamukkale University Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.