Some Helmet Program Evaluations
The material below is old, but reliable. The best current list of studies and references on educational campaign evaluations is the page titled "Bicycle Injury Interventions Programs to Increase Helmet Use: Education" on the Harborview Injury Prevention Center site. We can't hope to match that. You may find a lot more with a search on helmets on their site.
Centers for Disease Control
Evaluation of Legislation and Community
Programs to Increase the use of Bicycle Helmets
- Selected Locations
Helmet-use rates are for children except for
Victoria, Australia, which included adults.
Helmet use Rates
Pre- Post-
Location Years Program type Program Program
Evaluated
Victoria, March 1983- Community 6 percent 36 percent
Australia March 1990 campaign
Comments: Included education, mass media publicity,
support by professional associations and community
groups, involvement of bicycling groups, and $10
government rebate for helmet purchases.
Victoria, March 1990 Helmet 36 percent 73 percent
March 1991 legislation
introduced
Comments: Hospitalizations for bicycle-related
head injuries also decreased by 37 per cent,
Howard 1990-1991 Helmet 4 percent 47 percent
County, legislation,
Maryland community campaign
Comments: Activity prompted by bicycling deaths of
two children. Use determined by observation. A
school-based survey showed 11 percent and 37 per
cent.
Montgomery 1990-1991 Community 8 percent 19 percent
County, campaign
Maryland
Comments: Use determined by observation. Use
determined by school-based survey was 8 per cent
and 13 per cent
Baltimore 1990-1991 No specific 19 percent 4 percent
County, helmet promotion
Maryland activities
Comments: Served as control county. Use determined
by observation. Use determined by a school-based
survey was 7 percent and 11 percent.
Seattle, 1987-1988 Community 5 percent 14 percent
Washington campaign
Comments: Included education of parents by
physicians; advertising in newspapers, on
television, and on radio; school presentations;
and discount coupons for helmets.
Seattle, 1980-1990 Community 14 percent 33 percent
Washington campaign
Comments: Follow-up evaluation of bicycle helmet
campaign.
Seattle, 1990-1993 Community 33 percent 60 percent
Washington campaign
Comments: Follow-up evaluation of bicycle helmet
campaign. Bicycle-related head injuries decreased
approximately 67 per cent among children 5-14 years
of age who were members of a health maintenance
organization.
Portland, 1987-1988 No specific 1 percent 4 percent
Oregon helmet
promotion
activities
Comments: Control community, use determined by
observation.
Barrie, 1988-1989 Educational 0 percent 0 percent
Ontario program
Canada
Comments: Use determined by a limited number of
observations.
Barrie, 1980-1989 Educational 0 percent 22 percent
Ontario program and
Canada helmet subsidy
Comments: Use determined by a limited number of
observations.
Source:
Injury-Control Recommendations: Bicycle Helmets
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol 44, No. RR-l February 17, 1995
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
U. S. Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services
This chart is part of the source document, the rest of which
is available from CDC
Swedish Study
Swedish authorities published a paper in 2003 evaluating helmet campaign strategies. The overall conclusion is that a considerable increase in helmet use by cyclists could be achieved by noncompulsory measures, but the use levels are not as high as those achieved by legislation. We have some more details and a link to the orginal study.
Dutch Study
A similar study in the Netherlands turned up some different conclusions about helmet use. We have the abstract and a link to the orginal study in Dutch.
This page was last revised on: August 26, 2006.
Contact us.
|