Factors associated with the helmet use among motorcycle drivers in District IV, Quezon City

ABSTRACT

Background@#In the Philippines, 34 Filipinos are killed daily due to road injuries. Of the reported road traffic fatalities, 25% in the world, 34% in South East Asia, and 53% in the Philippines are riders of motorized two- or three-wheeled vehicles. @*Objectives@#Considering that motorcycle drivers are most affected by road-related injuries in Metro Manila, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of helmet use, identify the factors affecting the intent to use helmets, and determine the factors associated with consistent helmet use among motorcycle drivers in District IV, Quezon City. @*Methods@#Eight barangays were included in the sample and respondents were chosen through systematic random sampling. @*Results@#A self-administered questionnaire was used. There were 421 respondents with a prevalence for consistent helmet-use of 67.46% (CI 95% 62.81-71.78). It was found that the aggregate belief score was associated with the intention to use helmets. Meanwhile, every unit increase in knowledge score increased the odds of consistent helmet use by 1.21 (95% CI 1.06-1.37). In addition, those with intention were 7.48 times more likely to consistently wear helmets than those who do not (95% CI 2.80- 19.97). @*Conclusion@#Various sub-factors such as experience, formal driving education, perceived behavioral control, benefits, and ergonomic barriers may have contributed to the result; however, further studies are needed to establish these relationships.