title: The Status of Preventive Behaviors in Traffic Accidents in Junior High School Students in Isfahan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Population growth and use of the car in daily life entails new incidents and accidents everyday. Adolescents' entering the new world of adults, their insufficient knowledge of rules, and high-risk behaviors expose them to more risks. Accordingly, a study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the status of preventive behaviors in traffic accidents in boy and girl junior high school students in Isfahan regarding vehicle use.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 7000 junior high school boy and girl students from 20 towns in Isfahan Province using multi-stage cluster sampling method in 2009-2010. A researcher-made questionnaire was used as data collection tool, which evaluated students' practice and preventive behaviors with 21 questions, each examining students' practice in accidents and incidents that may occur in school and on the way to school. Data were analyzed with Epi 6 and SPSS software using t-test and Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls comprised 49.9% of students and 50.1% were boys, 84% lived in urban areas and 15.5% in rural areas. The frequency of an accident location was school in 53.9% with 3739 cases and on the way to school in 10.6% with 732 cases. Mean practice score of preventive behaviors in traffic accidents involving cars, taxi, and school bus (72.6 ± 17.52 girls, 72.7 ± 18.31 boys, P = 0.88), motorbike (79.1 ± 14.048 girls, 74.1 ± 19.73 boys, P < 0.001), bicycle (71.4 ± 16.56 girls, 68.5 ± 14.69 boys, P = 0.152), bus and minibus (91.8 ± 13.16 girls, 87 ± 18.65 boys, P < 0.001), crossing the street (30.5 ± 26.67 girls, 32.7 ± 28.03 boys, P = 0.003), and skating (60.6 ± 29.103 girls, 61.2 ± 26.84 boys, P = 0.927). Results indicate that girls have better preventive practices than boys in use of motorbikes, buses, and minibuses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the results obtained, the majority of students walk to school and have the lowest practice score in this respect. It is recommended that as the first step, students be given necessary road traffic rules training, particularly how to cross the street.
authors.affiliation: Vice-chancellery for Research, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Provincial Health Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tavazohi
authors.affiliation: Vice-chancellery for Research, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Soheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirdavani
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Provincial Health Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza Fadaei
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Nobari
authors.affiliation: Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kelishadi
authors.affiliation: Education Expert, Adjutancy of Transportation and Traffic of Isfahan Municipality, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Narges
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yalverdi
keywords: Isfahan Province; Junior high School; school; students; traffic accidents