Project headgear: assessing attitudinal and behavioral change in children

The question investigated was whether attitude and behavior would be positively changed through a health promotion program. Five hundred and thirty students participated in "Project Headgear", a program aimed at increasing helmet use. Students were divided into three treatment groups; group 1 was presented the program by an individual who was herself living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI presenter); group 2 was presented the program by a non-traumatically brain injured individual (nonTBI presenter); and a third group received only a pamphlet on purchasing bicycle helmets. Treatment group 1 (TBI presenter) had a significant increase for the behavioral measure, and a non-significant increase was found for both nonTBI group and the control group. The results of this study indicate that Project Headgear with a TBI presenter may be an effective tool in increasing helmet use for this population.