Children's bicycle helmet use and injuries in Hillsborough County, Florida before and after helmet legislation.

The purpose of this research was to explore the changes in children's bicycle helmet use and motor vehicle bicycle related injuries in Hillsborough County, Florida before and after passage of the Florida's bicycle helmet law for children under the age of 16. The results show a significant increase in bicycle helmet use among children, ages 5-13, in the post-law years compared with the pre-law years. Also, there has been a significant decline in the rates of bicycle related motor vehicle injuries among children in the post-law years compared with the pre-law years. Although there have been complementary educational and outreach activities in the county to support helmet use, it appears that the greatest increase in use occurred after the passage of the helmet law. It is recommended that educational efforts continue to sustain helmet use rates and decreases in injuries.

Development and evaluation of the Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson.

The Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson was delivered to nearly 2,000 fifth-grade students in 15 rural schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lesson covered animal, machinery, water, and general safety topics applicable to farming in Florida. A staggered pretest-posttest study design was followed whereby five schools received a multiple-choice pretest and posttest and the remainder of the schools (N = 10) received the posttest only. Results of the study showed a significant increase in the mean number of correct answers on the posttests compared to the pretests. There was no significant difference in the mean number of correct answers of those students who received the pretest and those students who had not, eliminating a "pretest" effect. This study fills an important gap in the literature by evaluating a farm safety curriculum offered in the elementary school setting. It also included migrant schoolchildren in the study population. It is strongly recommended that agricultural safety information be included into the health education curriculum of these elementary schools.

An analysis of injury deaths on Florida farms for years 1989 through 1998.

The purpose of this study was to analyze injury deaths on Florida farms for years 1989 through 1998. A review of death certificates was undertaken for children, 0 to 17 years, and adults, ages 18 and older. There were a total of 231 injury deaths during this time period. Twenty deaths were in children and 211 deaths were in adults. The leading cause of death was machinery for both children and adults. Farmworkers between the ages of 60 to 89 were more likely to die of tractor deaths than other adult age groups. In addition, adult males were more likely to die on Florida farms than adult females, however, females were more likely to die as a result of a homicide. This study begins the injury related surveillance efforts of the Deep South Agricultural Health and Safety Center.

Middle school students and bicycle helmet use: knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Previous research has shown that bicycle helmet use among older children and adolescents continues to be low. This study determined middle school students' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to bicycle helmet use. Six middle schools in Hillsborough County, Fla., served as the research settings. A pretested survey instrument was administered to students. Overall, 3,333 sixth and seventh graders responded. Results showed that most children owned a bicycle, 38.1% owned a helmet, but only 15.8% wore a helmet the last time they rode a bike. Many students (49.7%) did not know or did not believe there was a bicycle helmet law in Florida. Predictors of helmet use were intention to use a helmet the next time one rides a bike, having a helmet, siblings' use of helmets, and friends' use of helmets.