Impact of a school-based helmet promotion program on knowledge, attitudes and practices of eligible adolescent drivers. (1st March 2011)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Germeni, E; Lionis, C; Kalampoki, V; Davou, B; Belechri, M; Petridou, E
• Is Part Of: Injury prevention. Volume 16(2010)Supplement 1
• Page Start: A145
• Page End: A145
• Publication Date: 2011-03-01
• Subjects: Children's accidents -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Accidents -- Prevention -- Periodicals; 617.1
• DOI: 10.1136/ip.2010.029215.519
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1353-8047

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: School environment has been often identified as a prosperous venue for injury prevention and safety promotion. This study sought to investigate the impact of a school-based helmet promotion program on knowledge, attitudes and practices of eligible adolescent drivers. Methods: A cluster randomised controlled trial was implemented, with schools as the unit of randomisation. Four public, four private and four vocational high-schools situated in Attica, Greece, were sorted by type and randomly assigned to receive a one-month intervention, based on the key concepts of the Health Belief Model, or serve as controls. Self-report data were collected at baseline from 741 second grade students (∼16 years) and immediately after program completion. Results: After program completion, helmet-related knowledge was significantly improved for all intervention students. The adjusted mean changes from baseline to post-test were: 1.71 for students attending public schools (p=0.0001); 2.31 for students attending private schools (p=0.0001); and 1.31 for students attending vocational schools (p=0.0001). Notwithstanding the greatest increase observed in private high-school students, the intervention had no impact on their attitudes and practices. Of note, individuals enrolled in private education had the lowest frequency of two-wheel motorised vehicle use, with 18.2% reporting frequent use, as contrasted to 38.6% in public schools and 61.1% in vocational. Conclusions: The intervention was successful in increasing students knowledge about helmet use. Nevertheless, its impact on helmet-related attitudes and practices of participants appeared to vary across different school types.