The Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale: Using the Health Belief Model to Predict Helmet Use Among Undergraduates

Objective: This study examined bicycle helmet attitudes and practices of college undergraduates and developed the Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale, which was guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1974, in Becker MH, ed. The Health Belief Model and Personal Health Behavior. Thorofare, NJ: Charles B. Slack; 1974:328-335) to predict reported helmet use. Participants: Students (N = 337) from a mid-sized university in the southeast completed a survey between November 2006 and November 2007. Methods: Participants completed a comprehensive survey on attitudes and behaviors relevant to bicycle helmet use. Results: The resulting Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale contains 57 items and represents 10 reliable subscales that reflect the HBM. Only 12% of students were self-reported helmet users. Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale scores captured 52% of the variance associated with helmet use; each subscale differentiated wearers from non-wearers. Men reported more media influences than did women. Conclusions: The utility of the HBM to predicted bicycle helmet use was supported. Implications for promoting cycling safety are discussed.