The study investigated the use of, attitudes towards, and adherence to motorcycle helmets in a group of adolescents. A random sample of 412 adolescents (14-19 years old) attending randomly selected public secondary classes in Catanzaro (Italy) received a questionnaire consisting of questions on socio-demographics, patterns of motorcycle use, frequency of helmet use, helmet use by adult family members and close friends who are motorcyclists, attitudes towards helmet use and number of traffic-related motorcycle accidents in the last year. A total of 387 adolescents participated. The frequency of self-reported helmet use as a driver of the motorcycle or as the passenger was 34.7% and 33.7% respectively. Routine helmet use was greater for adolescents from households in which at least one family member wore a helmet, for youths who agreed that helmet use should be mandatory, and for those who did not experience an accident in the past year. Regression analysis of the attitude models indicated that the younger the age, the more willing an adolescent would be to believe that helmet use reduced the risk of head injuries and the positive attitude that helmet use should be mandatory was higher in younger adolescents and in those who had no road accident within the past year. A total of 17% reported that they had an accident during the last 12 months of the study period and 30 of them presented motorcycle-related injuries.
Conclusion: The development of programmes on helmet use starting as early as primary school is strongly needed.