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  • Helmet utilisation and its associated factors among motorcyclists in northern Ghana: an analytical cross-sectional survey

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Original research
Helmet utilisation and its associated factors among motorcyclists in northern Ghana: an analytical cross-sectional survey
  1. Benjamin Noble Adjei1,
  2. Emmanuel Kweku Nakua1,
  3. Peter Donkor2,
  4. Daniel Gyaase1,
  5. Mohammed Muhib Alhassan1,
  6. John Amissah3,
  7. Emmanuel Osei Bonsu1,
  8. Yeetey Enuameh1,
  9. Charles N Mock4
  1. 1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  2. 2 Deprtment of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  3. 3 Department of Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  4. 4 Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  1. Correspondence to Benjamin Noble Adjei; bennobleadjei{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Background Motorcycle crashes are a major source of road traffic deaths in northern Ghana. Helmet use has been low. The last time it was formally assessed (2010), helmet use was 30.0% (34.2% for riders and 1.9% for pillion riders). We sought to determine the current prevalence of helmet use and its associated factors among motorcyclists in northern Ghana.

Methods Cross-sectional observations of motorcycle helmet use were conducted among 3853 motorcycle riders and 1097 pillion riders in the Northern Region at 12 different locations near intersections, roundabouts and motorcycle bays. Modified Poisson regression was used to assess the factors associated with helmet use.

Results The prevalence of helmet use was 22.1% overall: 26.7% among motorcycle riders and 5.7% among pillion riders. On the multivariable regression analysis, the prevalence of helmet use among motorcycle riders was 69% higher during the day compared with the night, 58% higher at weekend compared with weekday, 46% higher among males compared with females, but it was 18% lower on local roads compared with highways, 67% lower among young riders compared with the elderly and 29% lower when riding with pillion rider(s).

Conclusion Despite small increases in motorcycle helmet use among pillion riders, helmet use has declined overall over the past decade. Immediate actions are needed to promote helmet use among motorcyclists in northern Ghana. This calls for a multisectoral approach to address the current low helmet use, targeting young riders, female riders, pillion riders, evening riding and riding on local roads.

  • Helmet
  • Low-Middle Income Country
  • Cross Sectional Study
  • Motorcycle

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. The data used for this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-045012

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request. The data used for this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors BNA: conceptualisation, investigation, methodology, project administration, statistical analyses, drafting, reviewing and editing. EKN: conceptualisation, methodology, supervision, reviewing and editing. PD and CM: conceptualisation, methodology, supervision, funding acquisition, reviewing and editing. JA: drafting, reviewing and editing. EOB and DG: statistical analyses, drafting, reviewing and editing. MMA: investigation, drafting, reviewing and editing. YE: methodology, supervision, reviewing and editing. All authors scientifically reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. BNA: responsible for the integrity of the data, the accuracy of the data analysis, or interpretation of the data and also act as the study guarantor.

    • Funding This study was funded in part by a grant from the US National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center (D43 TW007267). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.