Prevalence and factors associated with effective helmet use among motorcyclists in Mysuru City of Southern India
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(2020) 25:47
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Prevalence and factors associated with effective helmet use among motorcyclists in Mysuru City of Southern India Naveen Kikkeri Hanumantha Setty1* , Gautham Melur Sukumar2, Sumanth Mallikarjun Majgi3, Akhil Dhanesh Goel1, Prem Prakash Sharma1 and Manasa Brahmanandam Anand3
Abstract Background: Helmet use reduces the risk and severity of head injury and death due to road traffic crash among motorcyclists. The protective efficacy of different types of helmets varies. Wearing firmly fastened full-face helmet termed as effective helmet use provides greatest protection. This study estimates the prevalence and factors associated with effective helmet use among motorcyclists in Mysuru, a tier II city in Southern India. Methods: Cross-sectional road side observational study of 3499 motorcyclists (2134 motorcycle riders and 1365 pillion riders) at four traffic intersections was done followed by interview of random sample of 129 of the above riders. Effective helmet use proportion and effective helmet use per 100 person-minute of observation was calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors associated with effective helmet use. Results: Prevalence of effective helmet use was 28 per 100 riders and 19.5 per 100 person-minute of observation in traffic intersections. Prevalence rates of effective helmet use was higher among riders (34.5% vs pillion riders 18.1%), female riders (51.3% vs male riders 26.8%), and male pillion riders (30.5% vs female pillion riders 13.7%). Riders commuting for work and school and those ever stopped by the police in the past 3 months had significantly higher odds of effective helmet use. Conclusion: Despite helmet use being compulsory by law for motorcyclists, the effective helmet use was low in Mysore. Strict enforcement and frequent checks by the police are necessary to increase the effective helmet use. Keywords: Helmet, Motorcycle, Cross-sectional study
Introduction Road traffic injuries are currently estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death across all age groups globally and are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030 [1, 2]. Worldwide, road traffic crashes contribute to nearly 1.35 million deaths and 50 million nonfatal injuries every year [1, 2]. One fourth of road traffic deaths are among motorcyclists [2]. In high-income * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Basni phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005, India Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
countries, motorcycle deaths typically comprise about 12% of overall traffic deaths; in middle-income countries, this more than doubles to 26%, and this proportion is 34% in South-East Asian Region [2]. Two-wheeler rider deaths comprise 34–71% of all accident deaths in India [3]. Motorcycles form a high proportion of vehicle fleets in many low- and middle-
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