Cool Cat Bicycle Helmet Program | MICHIGAN |
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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Injuries, especially head injuries, resulting from bicycle crashes are an important cause of
childhood morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately four percent of those
injured or killed nationwide in bicycle crashes are under the age of 16. Bicycle helmets have
been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and brain injury by 88 percent. Early
education intervention has a powerful influence on the health and behaviors of young people.
The number of requests to the Michigan Resource Center, Office of Highway Safety Planning
(OHSP), for bicycle helmet programs and materials was increasing. However, bicycle helmet
use was only at two percent in the state.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The main goal of the Cool Cat Bicycle Helmet Program was to increase the use and knowledge
of bicycle helmets in young children and their parents. An additional goal was to increase local
community involvement in bicycle helmet promotion. Objectives were to:
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1994, a character-based pre-school bicycle helmet program, "Cool Cat, the
Brain Defender," was designed. The materials were developed by the Department of
Community Health under a grant from OHSP. The program uses a person dressed as
Cool Cat who performs a skit and song to convey the safety message to the
students. The presentation includes a brain board showing how helmets protect the
brain. Teachers distribute a coloring book to the students along with a bicycle
helmet brochure to go to the parents. A Polaroid picture of each child wearing a
bicycle helmet is taken with Cool Cat.
RESULTS
Over 4,000 coloring books and stickers have been disseminated to pre-school children. Over
10,000 parent bicycle helmet brochures have been distributed to agencies. The Michigan
Department of Community Health has reached more than 4,000 children with the bicycle helmet
message through the Cool Cat program.
New bicycle helmet use data is currently being collected. The project is continuing with additional communities being included.