Participation in Community-Based Road Safety Program Associated with Motorcycle Helmet Use in Udon Thani Province, Thailand

Background: Road traffic fatalities remain a significant cause of premature death in Thailand, with motorcycleriders comprising the largest proportion of deaths. Helmet use improves road safety outcomes; therefore, itis important to understand how to improve helmet use. The purpose of this study was to determine whethercommunity participation in road safety meetings was associated with helmet use and to identify other factorsassociated with self-reported helmet use.Objective: To determine the participation in community-based road safety program associated withmotorcycle helmet use in Udon Thani Province, ThailandMethod: Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between self-reportedparticipation in community meetings about road safety and other factors with self-reported helmet usebehaviors among 2,474 motorcycle riders (55.4% female, aged 53.4 ± 12.3 years) in PrachaksinlapakhomDistrict, Udon Thani province, Thailand.Results: Regular participation in community road safety meetings (ORadj.=1.61; 95% CI=1.24 to 2.08,p-value \u003c0.001) was associated with increased self-reported helmet usage. Risk factors for non-complianceincluded being female (ORadj.=0.64; 95%CI=0.53 to 0.77, p-value \u003c0.001), elderly (i.e., ?60 years old)(ORadj.=0.65; 95%CI=0.54 to 0.79, p-value \u003c0.001), and smoking (ORadj.=0.79; 95%CI=0.62 to 0.97,p-value = 0.029).Conclusions: Regular community participation was associated with increased self-reported helmet usageafter adjusting for other factors. Further research should assess whether helmet use outcomes improvedfollowing participation in community road safety activities.