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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
National data indicate
that each year more than 1,000 children and adolescents die as a result
of bicycle-related crash injuries, and an additional 550,000 are treated
in hospital emergency rooms. In 1991, Colorado public health data corresponded
closely with national statistics. The third most frequent cause of traumatic
brain injury among children statewide was bicycle-related incidents.
Data analyzed from Colorado's Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance Program
(TBI) in 1996 indicated that 13 percent of children involved in a bicycle-related
crash were wearing a helmet, 32 percent were not using any safety device
and 55 percent of the cases were undocumented.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to reduce
bicycle-related deaths and injuries among elementary and middle school-aged
children in Colorado, the HEADstrong® Coalition was created in 1991 by the Women In Medicine Section of the Colorado Medical society under the leadership of Dr. Jane Summers. Program objectives were to:
- Develop a statewide bicycle
helmet program
- Build a coalition of
individuals and groups concerned about bicycle safety
- Target children and adolescents
for bicycle safety education and activities
- Increase the use of bicycle
helmets statewide
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
HEADstrong®
Coalition planners determined that the target population was most easily
reached through the schools and scouting programs, and so activities and
programs were developed especially for group presentations. Examples of
the bicycle safety activities developed by the Coalition include the
following:
- A variety
of materials were developed for school or group presentations including
curricula, fact sheets, children's educational brochures (some with
matching crossword puzzles), a "fit card" explaining how to fit a
bicycle helmet properly, posters and information on developing coalitions
and training volunteers
- A bicycle
robot was purchased to use as a demonstrator of a child wearing a
helmet. The robot is outfitted with a helmet, is remote controlled,
and the operator can speak with children through the robot. The robot
is used at health fairs and at other high-profile community events
- A video,
There's No One Like You was produced for the middle school
age group. The video received an award for excellence from the National
Public Health community
- A second
video, HEADstrong® Safety Challenge was produced for younger
children. After receiving input from schools and other organizations
presenting the film, the two films were combined on one tape for the
convenience of the operator
- A new program,
Earn a Helmet Bank, helps children earn a helmet by working
on bicycle related activities such as coloring a poster, writing a
story about helmets, or watching the video and writing a report. More
than $26,000 was raised within the community to fund the "bank"
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