KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF CRASH HELMET USE IN THE PREVENTION OF HEAD INJURY AMONG MOTORCYCLISTS IN IFE CENTRAL

ABSTRACT

Motorcycle accidents occur frequently because of interface between the agent, the host and its environment, resulting in fatal consequences. Motorcycle riders have a 34 times risk of death than the drivers of other types of vehicles and eight times more likely to be injured. The non-use of helmet is a specific factor leading to head injuries ensuing from motorcycle crashes. This study aims at discovering the knowledge, attitude, and practices of crash helmet use in the prevention of head injury among motorcyclists in Ife central local government.

The study was a descriptive non-experimental design that utilized random sampling technique to get seventy-five respondents at the randomly selected commercial motorcycle parking points. Self-designed questionnaires utilizing descriptive statistical method were used. Data was analyzed using statistical product for services solution version 16.0.

All the respondents were males, with the majority (34.7%) having had tertiary education. Of the total respondents, 89.3% had good knowledge of crash helmet use. The proportion of motorcyclists, who reported to wear helmet was 88%. However, more than half of them (46.6%) reported to not wear helmet consistently. In addition, 58.7% had a positive attitude to crash helmet use. It is worthy of note that those who agreed regarding the protective ability of helmet against head injury were more likely to wear helmet than those who disagreed.

Based on the findings, commercial motorcyclists in Ife central local government generally have positive attitude towards helmet use, and a positive attitude towards protective ability of helmet against head injuries. High proportions of commercial motorcyclists have adequate knowledge of crash helmet use. In spite of this noteworthy information, the inconsistent use of helmet was evident, whereby majority of commercial motorcyclists wear helmet only on weekdays, or when anticipating meeting a police officer. This may be partially explained by either somewhat weak legal enforcement on helmet use, which may be due to more often unavailability of traffic police in the small roads and rural areas. In view of the results, there is a need to strengthen legal enforcement of helmet wearing and ensuring the availability and accessibility of quality helmet to the majority of commercial motorcyclists. Crash helmets of high quality with improved design to enhance users’ comfort should be made available to the majority, at affordable prices, and continuous organization of programs in which health professionals are able to act as agents involved in educating people with regard to risk prevention behaviours when riding a motorbike is recommended.