Familial aggregation of traffic risky behaviours among pedestrians: a cross-sectional study in northwestern Iran

This study aims to assess the familial aggregation of traffic risky behaviours among pedestrians and describe the sociodemographic profile of pedestrians in northwestern Iran.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 933 pedestrians in 2023. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling. Traffic risky behaviour was measured using a validated instrument among heads of households and their first relatives. The generalised estimating equations were computed to estimate the adjusted OR and 95% CI for familial aggregation of traffic risky behaviours.

Of the total sample, 52.2% and 27.7% of the participants were male and aged 41-50, respectively. The majority of respondents were categorised in middle socioeconomic class (36.9%). The OR for familial aggregation of traffic risky behaviours was 1.42 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.89), indicating that the presence of traffic risky behaviours in at least one family member increased the likelihood of similar behaviour in other members. Fathers showing violation behaviours were associated by 1.98-fold increase in violation behaviours among their offspring. Similarly, the existence of violation behaviour in one sibling increased the odds of violation behaviour among other siblings (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.18 to 3.73).

This study revealed the familial aggregation of traffic risky behaviours of pedestrians, with father-offspring and sibling aggregations emerging as prominent components of familial aggregation. The findings suggested that family-based prevention programmes may yield greater effectiveness than individual-based approaches. As such, implementing targeted interventions focusing on family might have a substantial impact on reducing pedestrian traffic risky behaviours.