Using Social Marketing as a Tool to Increase Helmet Use among Bicycle-share Riders in Urban Settings

The use of helmets has been shown to be effective in preventing head injuries sustained from bicycle riding accidents [2]. Despite the benefits of this health behavior, helmet use among riders in bicyclesharing programs has been shown to be remarkably low across a number of U.S. cities. In a 2013 study, over 85% of the 1,054 New York City bicycle-share riders were observed not wearing helmets regardless of the location, time of day or day of the week [3]. Similar findings from a 2012 study were reported in Boston and Washington, DC with over 80% of cyclists in these programs riding without helmets [4]. Public health literature offers little about perceived social, personal and logistical barriers to helmet use among bicycle-share riders. Studies of helmet use in other bicycle users in the United States and Netherlands indicate numerous factors that affect adult riders' likelihood of wearing helmets including physical discomfort when wearing a helmet, nonhelmet use among peers, and riders not owning a helmet [5,6]. Other