title: Using social marketing to increase the use of helmets among bicyclists.
abstract: In this study, the authors investigated a social marketing intervention to increase the use of bicycle helmets on a university campus in the southeastern United States. Focus groups of students developed a bicycle helmet program slogan and logo (ie, "The Grateful Head"). The authors trained student bicyclists who already used helmets (n=15) as peer agents. These agents provided bicycle helmet information and asked fellow bicyclists to sign a pledge card to wear a helmet. They gave a coupon for a free helmet to those who pledged to wear a helmet. The authors received a total of 379 pledge cards and distributed 259 helmets. Bicycle helmet use rose from a baseline mean of 27.6% to a mean of 49.3% by the last week of the intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA. ludwigtd@appstate.edu
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods; D001642:Bicycling; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D010379:Peer Group; D014495:Universities