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The Effect of Visual Patient Education on Helmet Use Behaviour in Elderly Patients After a Bicycle, E-bike, or Moped Accident

The Effect of Visual Patient Education on Helmet Use Behaviour in Elderly Patients After a Bicycle, E-bike, or Scooter Accident: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07773545
Acronym
HelmED RCT
Enrollment
228
Registered
2026-08-19
Start date
2022-09-01
Completion date
2026-09-01
Last updated
2026-08-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cyclists, Helmet Use, Video Information

Keywords

Helmet use, Emergency Department, behavioral change, educational intervention, video intervention

Brief summary

This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) targeting individuals aged 60 and older who present to the emergency department following an accident. The study examines the effect of watching an educational video on helmet use specifically, whether it leads to increased helmet usage in the future. Individuals aged 60 or older who were not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle, e-bike, or (e)-moped at the time of the accident are eligible for inclusion.

Detailed description

The present study is a multicenter randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate whether a brief online educational intervention delivered after an ED visit can increase helmet use among older adults. Eligible participants are patients aged 60 years or older who were not wearing a helmet at the time of their bicycle, e-bike, or moped accident and who present to one of the participating emergency departments. Following informed consent and completion of a brief baseline questionnaire, participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive standard emergency care in addition to a short online educational video promoting helmet use. The video is designed to provide evidence-based information regarding the burden of bicycle- and moped-related head injuries, the protective effects of helmet use, and the potential health benefits of wearing a helmet during future rides. Participants in the control group will receive standard emergency care alone without the educational video. The primary objective is to determine whether exposure to the educational video results in a higher proportion of helmet users six months after the index ED visit compared with standard care alone. Helmet use at six months will be assessed through a structured telephone interview. Secondary objectives include evaluating the association between helmet use at six months and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In addition, demographic characteristics, accident characteristics (including accident location and weather conditions), injury characteristics (including injury type, anatomical injury location, and presence of multiple injuries), and patient characteristics (including age, educational level, and intoxication status) will be collected to describe the study population and explore factors associated with subsequent helmet use.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEducational video

The video is designed to provide evidence-based information regarding the burden of bicycle- and scooter-related head injuries, the protective effects of helmet use, and the potential health benefits of wearing a helmet during future rides.

Sponsors

Erasmus Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Following informed consent and completion of a brief baseline questionnaire, participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive standard emergency care in addition to a short online educational video promoting helmet use. The video is designed to provide evidence-based information regarding the burden of bicycle- and scooter-related head injuries, the protective effects of helmet use, and the potential health benefits of wearing a helmet during future rides. Participants in the control group will receive standard emergency care alone without the educational video.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age ≥60 years * Attending the ED after a (electric) bicycle or scooter traffic accident * Signed informed consent by patient * Maximum points (15) on Glasgow Coma Scale

Exclusion criteria

* Linguistic barrier * Illiteracy or blindness * Helmet use during the accident

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Helmet use6 monthsSelf-reported helmet use (single-item survey question, yes/no), assessed 6 months after ED visit.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Patient attitude towards helmet use6 monthsPatients' attitude towards helmet use was assessed across three questions, using a study-specific questionnaire administered at follow-up: (1) Has your opinion regarding bicycle helmet use changed following your accident? (More positive/more negative/no changes) 2) Would you advise other cyclists to wear a bicycle helmet? (yes/no) 3) If bicycle helmet use was made mandatory, would you consider this an appropriate public health- and safety measure? (yes/no)

Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 20, 2026