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Childhood Bicycle Helmet Awareness University of Washington School of Medicine, RUOP-III3 Christopher Barnes 2010 Community Profile Anaconda, Montana is a moderately-sized community of nearly 9,000 people in Deer Lodge County. In its origin, Anaconda was once a major mining town; this is no longer the case, but the town’s blue collar nature has remained. Like many communities in Montana, the people of Anaconda are humble and hard working; but are unaware of the potential dangers of bicycle accidents. As a result, the majority of the children in the community do not wear bicycle helmets. Background • Nearly one-third of childhood bicycle accidents result in a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). • Proper Helmet use however has been shown to decrease the risk of a TBI by up to 88%. • Only 15% of children under the age of 16 wear their helmets on a regular basis. • Children from ages 10-13 are at the greatest risk of a bicycle related TBI •20% of children in this age group do not wear their helmets properly. Purpose The objective of this project was to educate the community of Anaconda, Montana on the importance of not only wearing a bicycle helmet, but wearing it properly. Methods •A literature review was done to identify the successfulness of bicycle helmets in preventing childhood bicycle related TBI’s. •An educational pamphlet on why children should wear helmets, and methods of encouraging them to do so was constructed. •An instructional guide was prepared on how to properly fit a bicycle helmet. •The educational material was then handed out at a local town festival, Live After Five. •While at the festival, demonstrations on how to properly fit a helmet were giving to interested community members. Results •25 educational pamphlets and 25 instructional guides were handed out at the Live After Five Festival. •During the Festival, community members were encouraged to discuss bicycle helmet awareness with myself and their community leaders. During this process: •A member of the local Kiwani’s club showed interest in funding affordable bicycle helmets for children within the community. •The Community Hospital of Anaconda (CHA) board discussed the possibility of matching a grant provided to them, that would fund helmets that could be dispersed at their facilities. •Anaconda Pediatrics, as well as a member of the pediatric staff at St. James’ Hospital in Butte, MT, were provided with an electronic copy of the pamphlet and instructional guide to disperse to their patients. Acknowledgements A special thanks to Dr. Freddy Bartoletti and his family; The hospital staff at CHA; the organizers of Live After Five; Lisa Benzel and the staff of Montana AHEC; Dr. Laurel Desnick; and of course, the University of Washington School of Medicine.
