Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether the BikeSafe on-bicycle curriculum affects children's bicycle safety knowledge and collect cross-sectional data on cycling beliefs and attitudes.
Methods: The University of Miami's BikeSafe program collected surveys from 286 participants, aged 7-15, in 10 Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces summer camps from June to August 2015. Pre and post knowledge assessments were analyzed for 83 intervention group and 57 control group participants. Posttesting occurred immediately following program implementation and 2-4 weeks postimplementation.
Results: Intervention group participants demonstrated significant differences (P < .05) in knowledge gain between testing points, whereas control group participants did not. Participants (n = 286) were more likely to be encouraged to ride a bicycle by parents/guardians (61.2%) than by friends (38.1%) or schools (19.6%). Older respondents reported lower intentions of helmet use compared to the younger age group, χ2(4) = 27.96, P < .0005.
Conclusions: Children's bicycle safety knowledge increased following implementation of the BikeSafe on-bicycle curriculum. This study confirmed previous research on the decrease in helmet use as children get older and provided insight into how children view their parents' beliefs and attitudes relating to cycling. The findings of this study can be used to effectively target future educational and encouragement initiatives.
Keywords: Bicyclist; children; education; helmet; injury; interventions; safety.