Abstract Background Low seat belt use and higher crash rates contribute to persistence of motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of teenage death. Service-learning has been identified as an important component of public health interventions to improve health behavior. Methodology A service-learning intervention was conducted in eleven selected high schools across the United States in the 2011–2012 school year. Direct morning and afternoon observations of seat belt use were used to obtain baseline observations during the fall semester and post-intervention observations in the spring. The Mann–Whitney U test for 2 independent samples was used to evaluate if the intervention was associated with a statistically significant change in seat belt use. We identified factors associated with seat belt use post-intervention using multivariable logistic regression. Results Overall seat belt use rate increased by 12.8%, from 70.4% at baseline to 83.2% post-intervention (p <0.0001). A statistically significant increase in seat belt use was noted among white, black, and Hispanic teen drivers. However, black and Hispanic drivers were still less likely to use seat belts while driving compared to white drivers. Female drivers and drivers who had passengers in their vehicle had increased odds of seat belt use. Conclusion A high school service-learning intervention was associated with improved seat belt use regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, but did not eliminate disparities adversely affecting minority youth. Continuous incorporation of service-learning in high school curricula could benefit quality improvement evaluations aimed at disparities elimination and might improve the safety behavior of emerging youth cohorts.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Improving seat belt use among teen drivers: Findings from a service-learning approach



    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2013-04-27


    Size :

    5 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





    In-Car Electronic Device Use Among Teen Drivers

    National Research Council (U.S.) | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005


    Teen and Senior Drivers

    R. Aizenberg / D. M. McKenzie | NTIS | 1997


    Technology and teen drivers

    Lee, John D. | Elsevier | 2007


    Technology and teen drivers

    Lee, J. D. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007