PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Adjei, Benjamin Noble AU - Nakua, Emmanuel Kweku AU - Donkor, Peter AU - Gyaase, Daniel AU - Alhassan, Mohammed Muhib AU - Amissah, John AU - Osei Bonsu, Emmanuel AU - Enuameh, Yeetey AU - Mock, Charles N TI - Helmet utilisation and its associated factors among motorcyclists in northern Ghana: an analytical cross-sectional survey AID - 10.1136/ip-2023-045012 DP - 2024 Feb 01 TA - Injury Prevention PG - ip-2023-045012 4099 - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2024/02/01/ip-2023-045012.short 4100 - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2024/02/01/ip-2023-045012.full AB - 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.Data are available upon reasonable request. The data used for this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.