Promotion of safety helmets for child bicyclists: 2002 update.
OBJECTIVE
Current research continues to show that bicycle helmets prevent serious injury and death in cyclists of all ages. Children are at special risk for head injury. The purpose of this review was to update information on the use and protective effect of bicycle helmets for child cyclists.


CONCLUSIONS
Legislation, combined with community education and helmet promotion campaigns, remains the most cost-effective approach for increasing helmet use. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have passed helmet legislation. Modest gains in helmet-wearing rates have been documented, with the greatest gains in young children, compared with adolescents.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses remain in strategic positions to encourage helmet use by educating children and parents. Nurses can participate in community-based education and advocacy programs. Nurse researchers can carry out descriptive studies that increase community awareness of bicycle injuries and examine factors such as parental rules and adolescent risk-taking.
Coffman
Sherrilyn
S
Sierra Health Services, Las Vegas, NV, USA. scoffman@sierrahealth.com
D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015399:Nursing Research; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States