Inventory of child bicycle education programs reveals need for age, development, and skill-level considerations

Abstract

Objective: There are a plethora of child bicycle safety education programs worldwide. However, the content and durations vary widely from program to program and no gold standard has been established. The main objective of this project was to create an inventory of youth bicycle safety education programs and their content, approaches, and age and developmental considerations.

Methods: Methods used to gather program information included web and online database searches, extraction from personal lists, and a widely distributed online survey. A total of 89 programs met inclusion criteria and were reviewed (78 from the United States and 11 from other countries).

Results: Over half (56.2%) of the included programs were not explicitly age specific, meaning that the content was not appropriately designated by age and developmental cut points. Many programs had target age groups, but these were often very wide age ranges (e.g., all elementary school–age children) resulting in content too advanced for the youngest children. Only 12.4% of included programs had published program evaluations and their scientific rigor varied widely. Main results from this inventory revealed a weak evidence base for program effectiveness due to lack of program evaluations. Results also highlighted a need for age, development, and skill-level considerations in youth bicycle education programs.

Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive list of program components and approaches that can be used as a foundation upon which child bicycle education standards can be evaluated and built, with the long-term goal of increased childhood safety.

Keywords:

• Safety
• bike
• youth
• curricula
• injury prevention

Acknowledgments

We thank the members of the technical advisory committee who provided valuable input on this project: Troy Carter, Pam Hoogerwerf, Jessica LaCroix, Elizabeth O’Neal, Milly Ortiz-Pagan, Corinne Peek-Asa, Jodie Plumert, Sarah Taylor-Watts, and Kristel Wetjen.

Additional information

Funding

This study was sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, Iowa DOT Project Number 17-SPRO-016.