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Bicycle helmet campaigns and head injuries among children. Does poverty matter?
Author(s) -
Reading Richard
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2004.t01-2-00388.x
Subject(s) - poverty , medicine , environmental health , population , demography , political science , sociology , law
Objectives To assess the impact of a community‐based bicycle helmet programme aimed at children aged 5–12 years (about 140 000) from poor and well‐off municipalities. Methods A quasi‐experimental design, including a control group, was used. Changes in the risk of bicycle‐related head injuries leading to hospitalization were measured, using rates ratios. Results Reductions in bicycle‐related head injuries were registered in both categories of municipalities. Compared with the pre‐programme period, the protective effect of the programme during the post‐programme period was as significant among children from poor municipalities (RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.26–0.78) as among those from richer municipalities (RR 0.55; 95% CI 0.41–0.75). Conclusion Population‐based educational programmes may have a favourable impact on injury risks in poor areas despite lower adoption of protective behaviours.