Funded Projects

Helmet Use In Elementary School Children

Project Year

2024

City & State

Austin, Texas

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Health Education & Prevention

Program Description

Problem - As children grow up, pediatricians encourage time outside and physical activity. One of the greatest ways to accomplish that is bicycle riding, however many children in our community are not utilizing appropriate safety equipment while riding their bikes. Bike accidents are not uncommon, and adolescents have the highest rates of bicycle-related injuries treated in the ED (CDC). In fact, bicycling leads to the highest number of sport and recreation-related ED visits for traumatic brain injuries in the United States (Sarmiento, 2021). But even with this knowledge and counseling from adults, studies have shown that only 14-17% of children were wearing a helmet when they have been injured while on a bike (Huffman, 2024; Schroeder, 2013). It’s known that wearing a helmet significantly reduces the odds of head, facial, and fatal injuries, therefore increasing helmet use in pediatric populations is pivotal to public health and safety.  Primary Setting - The setting of this project is children in the Austin Independent School district, ages five to eleven in low socioeconomic areas of the city of Austin, Texas. The target focus of the initial project will be students at Guerrero Thompson Elementary School with the goal to expand and partner with other schools in the district after the initial event.  Number of Children Affected - Many children ride bikes, more than 11 million children each year, and due to that, bikes have more childhood injuries than any other consumer products excluding cars (Gill). In 2020, there were over 136,000 non-fatal bike injuries in children between 0-19 years of age. From 2009-2018, the rate of ED visits for bicycle related traumatic brain injuries was 32.7 per 100,000 visits, which is over double the rate of adults (Sarmiento, 2021). The highest impacted group was children aged 10-14 who had a rate of 44.6 bicycle TBIs per 100,000 ED visits and had the highest rate of death (Gill). This project will focus specifically on elementary age children who ride bicycles, as wearing helmets significantly reduces the chance of serious head and facial injuries (Olivier, 2017).  Project Goal - The project goal is to increase the number of children aged 6-12 who wear a helmet when riding a bike in order to reduce preventable injuries and encourage healthy habits and safe bike riding practices.  Proposed Intervention - The proposed intervention is a partnership with Austin Independent School District elementary schools to promote bicycle safety through distribution of bike helmets, helmet fittings, and education for parents and students on appropriate bicycle safety. The project will be a multi-pronged collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center, Austin Independent School District, and bike-related non-profit community organizations. The initial event will be hosted at an elementary school to provide helmets to children who do not have one plus appropriate fittings of currently owned helmets and will teach the basics of bike safety. Additionally, bilingual educational flyers will be sent home with students to increase parental knowledge of bike safety and encourage family discussions about helmet use. Based on feedback from the community and initial impact, the project can be expanded to multiple schools within AISD. Through this partnership, the goal is to continue to host events at other schools and form a long-term collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center and Austin Independent School District.  Anticipated Outcomes - The anticipated outcome of this project is to increase the number of elementary aged students wearing correctly fitted helmets while biking in an effort to reduce preventable head and facial injuries. Additionally, this project will increase parental knowledge of helmets to improve home attitudes regarding helmet use through direct and indirect education.

Project Goal

Increase the number of children who wear a helmet when riding a bike in order to prevent injuries

Project Objective 1

Create and distribute bilingual educational take-home material to 500 elementary students within the first 2 months of the 2024-2025 school year

Project Objective 2

Distribute bicycle helmets at community event to more than 25 children with participation from more than 10 families at first event in low socioeconomic neighborhood

Project Objective 3

Connect families of low SES in neighborhoods in need with access to safe products and material by connecting with community partners through flyers and events to facilitate long-term partnerships

AAP District

District VII

Institutional Name

Dell Children's Medical Center

Contact 1

Ruth Kolkman, MD