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The Role of a Community-Based Intervention in Promoting Helmet Use in a Non-probability Sample of Rural Motorcyclists in Iran

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Abstract

Although the use of helmets is known to prevent the majority of mortalities by head injuries, it is ignored by a large number of motorcyclists. The present study was conducted to promote helmet use in an attempt to reduce injuries among motorcyclists in a rural area by adopting a community-based participation approach. The one-group pretest–posttest pre-experimental design was conducted in northwest Iran. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) baseline measurement, (2) implementation of the intervention, and (3) assessment of the outcomes. The intervention included the distribution of learning tools, education of various community groups, tightening of driving laws for offending motorcyclists, promotional programs at community level, and utilizing all opportunities to discuss the benefits of helmets. Due to the non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn. After the intervention, the percentage of the awareness of the benefits of helmet use was increased by 28%, positive attitudes towards benefits of helmet use was increased by 32.6%, and supporting helmet use was increased by 58.6%. Moreover, helmet sale and use increased by 147.0% and 32.0%, respectively. Additionally, motorcycle accidents, head injuries, and mortalities were decreased by 71.8, 55.5, and 60.0%, respectively. Community-based participation approach may positively influence health promoting behaviors and motorcyclists’ decisions to wear helmet in rural areas.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank all personnel of Health vice-chancellery of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences for their cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Sarab Faculty of Medical Sciences, Sarab, Iran

    Towhid Babazadeh

  2. College of Education & Human Development, TAMUCC, 6300 Ocean Dr., Unit 5818, FC 223, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412-5818, USA

    Kamiar Kouzekanani

  3. Department of Health Education & Promotion, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, 14711, Tabriz, Iran

    Sadegh Ghasemzadeh

  4. Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Hossein Matlabi

  5. Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Health Education and Promotion, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Hamid Allahverdipour

Authors
  1. Towhid Babazadeh
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  2. Kamiar Kouzekanani
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  3. Sadegh Ghasemzadeh
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  4. Hossein Matlabi
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Correspondence to Hamid Allahverdipour.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Ethical approval to perform the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

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Babazadeh, T., Kouzekanani, K., Ghasemzadeh, S. et al. The Role of a Community-Based Intervention in Promoting Helmet Use in a Non-probability Sample of Rural Motorcyclists in Iran. J Community Health 44, 828–835 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00663-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00663-4

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