TITLE:
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Using Helmets in Children amongst Parents to Prevent Head Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Turki Salah Aldeen Bukhari, Abdullah Yahya Aldhban, Anas Abdulrahman Alqasem, Dona Jamal Al Hatlani, Hareth Aldosaimani, Hamad A. Al Madi, Khalid Alqahtani
KEYWORDS:
Head Trauma, Head Injury, Helmet, Bicycle, Motorcycle, Quad Bike, KAP Knowledge, Attitude, Practice
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.14 No.2,
March
8,
2024
ABSTRACT: Objectives: The primary objective was to characterize
the range of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of Helmet use in children
amongst parents to prevent head injuries and death. Methods: This is a
cross-sectional study, done by online survey using a snowball sampling
technique, the number of included responses were 386 parents (Male and female)
living in Riyadh Aged 21 - 60 years old or above. Results: The study
showed that there is a difference in Parents’ belief in the importance of
helmet use while riding a Bicycle vs Motorcycle/Quad bike and that was affected
by parents’ education level, almost all the people who answered the survey
(76.7%) agree that it is important for their children to wear a helmet when
riding both a Bicycle and a Motorcycle or Quadbike with a cumulative percentage
of (93.8%). And almost all agreed on multiple approaches to help increase
helmet use be it by forcing rental shops to give out helmets, forcing sellers
to recommend the use of helmets, increasing awareness campaigns, and imposing
fines for not wearing helmets. Conclusions: This study is the first to
explore Family helmet use while riding Bicycles and Motorcycles/Quad bikes.
Although Parent’s belief in the importance of helmet use for their children was
high, it is clear that the level of practice is low. With that the risk of head
injuries might be high, our findings suggest that safety interventions for
increasing pediatric helmet use are needed to increase helmet use and reduce
the risk of head injury and hospitalization.