title: The prevalence of motorcycle helmet use from serial observations in three Mexican cities.
abstract: Motorcycle use as a functional and recreational means of transportation is increasing in Mexico; the associated mortality rate has also increased. Appropriate helmet use can reduce a motorcyclist's risk of death or serious injury. This study quantified the prevalence of motorcycle helmet use in three Mexican cities (Cuernavaca, Guadalajara-Zapopan, and León) within the context of several ongoing road safety initiatives. Four rounds of roadside observations were conducted between November 2010 and April 2012. The overall prevalence of helmet use was 73.8% among all users; helmet use was much lower among females (55.3%). Drivers tended to use helmets more frequently than passengers (76.3% vs. 51.6%). The prevalence was higher in León (85.9%, 95% CI = 84.8-87.0) than Cuernavaca (71.5%, 95% CI = 69.3-73.6) and Guadalajara-Zapopan (62.7%, 95% CI = 61.1-64.2). Helmet use decreased in León (p = 0.003) but increased in Guadalajara-Zapopan (p = 0.000) during this period. Motorcycle helmet use could be improved in all three cities. Since motorcycle use is increasing, interventions targeting motorcycle users and greater enforcement of helmet use are necessary to reduce crashes and non-fatal and fatal injuries.
authors.affiliation: a Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lunnen
authors.affiliation: a Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.|b Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud del Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública , Cuernavaca , México.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Núñez
authors.affiliation: b Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud del Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública , Cuernavaca , México.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hidalgo-Solórzano
authors.affiliation: a Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Aruna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.affiliation: b Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud del Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública , Cuernavaca , México.|c Fundación Entornos, A.C. , Cuernavaca , México.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Híjar
authors.affiliation: a Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Adnan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hyder
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009049:Motorcycles; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012449:Safety
keywords: LAC; Mexico; head injury; motorcycle helmet use; road traffic injury