Attitudes and knowledge toward bicycle helmet by school age children

Approximately 600 children under the age of 15 years, die each year in bicycle-related accidents. Over 80% of these deaths involve trauma to the head. Almost one fourth of all significant brain injuries in children are bicycle related. In spite of these significant statistics, bicycle helmet use in Puerto Rico has not received the necessary publicity to increase their use. Pediatricians should encourage helmet use and counsel parents about the important of this device. A case control study of accidents among bicycle riders experiencing a crash demonstrates that safety helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85% and brain injury by 88%. The recommendation of current safety counseling practices should be incorporated as part of the routine pediatrician visit. Educational campaigns targeted at parents and children focusing on the incidence of consequences of bicycle crashes should be the primary goal for all primary practitioners, since the effectiveness of helmets in preventing head injuries might substantially increase helmet ownership among children. To assess the prevalence of bicycle helmet ownership and the associated factors with this, we surveyed 146 school age children evaluated at the Pediatrics Clinics of the University Hospital Dr. Ramón Ruiz Arnau from January to March 1991. We concluded that only 7.5% of our sample use the helmets.