Barriers to wearing bicycle safety helmets in The Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE
To explore behavioral factors that determine whether children (aged 7 to 13 years) wear bicycle safety helmets.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Three Dutch primary schools in Breda, Maastricht, and Terneuzen, the Netherlands.


METHODS
Two hundred fifty-nine children aged 7 to 13 years.


METHODS
Wearing a bicycle safety helmet for 6 consecutive weeks.


RESULTS
Information about experiences with the bicycle safety helmet was gathered via questionnaires. Wearing a bicycle safety helmet was described as inconvenient, time-consuming, and uncomfortable. Children also perceived negative reactions from their social environment.


CONCLUSIONS
Planned health promotion activities will be essential for the introduction of bicycle safety helmets to be successful. These activities should focus particularly on developing a comfortable bicycle safety helmet, creating facilities to store bicycle safety helmets, and changing negative social norms regarding wearing a bicycle safety helmet.
Department of Health Education, University of Limburg, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D012449:Safety; D012931:Social Environment