International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology

Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

PERCEPTION AND COMPLIANCE WITH USE OF SAFETY HELMET AS A

PREVENTIVE MEASURE AMONG COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLISTS IN
YORUBA ETHNIC-DOMINATED SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA
Kolade Afolayan Afolabi (PhD)1 and Adebukunola Olajumoke Afolabi2
1
Medical and Health Services, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria.
Email: doctorafolabi2@yahoo.com
2
Clinical Nursing Services, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-
Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. Email: bukieafolabi@yahoo.com

Cite this article: ABSTRACT: Significant proportion of motorcyclists in Nigeria

Kolade A.A., Adebukunola do not adhere to appropriate safety measures due to ethnic and
O.A. (2021), Perception and cultural misconceptions, prominent among which is the perceived
Compliance with Use of
Safety Helmet as a Preventive
belief among Yorubas in South-west Nigeria that motorcycle
Measure among Commercial helmets could be a medium for spells and communicable
Motorcyclists in Yoruba infections. Study assessed the perception of commercial
Ethnic-Dominated South-West
Nigeria. International Journal
motorcyclists about safety helmets, examined the attitude of
of Public Health and motorcyclists and level of compliance with safety helmets. Study
Pharmacology 1(2), 35-49. adopted a sequential explanatory mixed method using quantitative
DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-
EOEECVUM.
and qualitative data collection. Quantitative aspect employed
semi-structured questionnaires to collect data from 200
commercials while Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was
Manuscript History conducted for the qualitative study. Chi-square statistic was used
Received: 23 June 2021 to examine association between dependent and independent
Accepted: 21 July 2021 variables, statistical significance taken at p<0.05. Qualitative
Published: 3 Aug 2021
responses were analyzed and findings presented thematically.
Findings revealed that 82.5% of the motorcyclists had positive
perception, 62.0% had a negative attitude towards safety helmets
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
while 22.5% of the motorcyclists complied with appropriate safety
distributed under the terms of helmet guidelines. Compliance with safety helmets was
Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
significantly associated with motorcyclists’ educational
4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND qualification (p=0.03), ethnicity (p=0.01) and perception about
4.0), which permits anyone to
share, use, reproduce and
safety helmets (p=0.04). Study concluded that increased
redistribute in any medium, awareness and advocacy which takes cognizance of cultural
provided the original author and
source are credited.
contexts of motorcyclists are vital if fatalities from road traffic
injuries are to be reduced in Nigeria.
KEYWORDS: Perception and Compliance, Safety Helmet,
Commercial Motorcyclists, Yorubas

35 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

INTRODUCTION
Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) account for a significant proportion of disabilities and deaths
observed in developing countries of which motorcycle crash injuries constitute a significant
proportion (World Health Organization WHO, 2018). Worldwide, road traffic injuries account
for the leading cause of death among individuals between ages 15-29 years old and also
included among the top three causes of death among 15-44 years old (World Health
Organization WHO, 2018).
Motorcycle injuries accounted for a significant fraction of all road traffic injuries in developing
countries with Nigeria considered as one of the countries with the worst record of road traffic
injuries. The use of motorcycle popularly known as ‘okada’ for transportation in Nigeria was
previously for personal purposes mainly by individuals of low socio-economic class until
recently when its use became more widespread in major cities and towns (Nwadiaro,
Ekwe,Akpayak & Shitta, 2011; Olubomehin, 2012). Consequently, a significant proportion of
motorcyclists in Nigeria and some countries in the West Africa sub-region employ use of
motorcycles for transportation as a means of livelihood; a phenomenon referred to as
commercial motorcycling. These are partly as a result of the poor state of roads, ineffectiveness
of public transport systems and worsening unemployment status in the country (Emiogun et
al., 2016). Similarly, increased usage of motorcycles for personal and commercial reasons have
also been observed in several other countries in Africa including Benin republic, Uganda,
Ghana, South Africa (Kudebong et al., 2011). This is in contrast to the situation in most
developed countries where use of motorcycles are mainly for recreational purposes (Tomida et
al., 2005).
As a result of these surge in the widespread use of motorcycles as means of transportation in
Nigeria and several other countries in Africa for personal and commercial purposes, adequate
and proper training for motorcyclists regarding safety were not properly addressed in addition
to the fact that appropriate laws regulating use of safety gadgets were either not put in place or
enforced (Emiogun et al., 2016).
Studies on road transportation and safety in Nigeria revealed that a significant proportion of
motorcyclists do not adhere to appropriate safety measures due to non-enforcement of relevant
laws, poor attitude towards road safety gadgets and various forms of socio-cultural
misconceptions about safety helmets use. Commercial motorcyclists must therefore be targeted
towards reduction in severe morbidities, mortalities associated with road traffic injuries in
Nigeria.
Etiological factors of road traffic accidents and injuries in Nigeria could be attributed to
vehicular causes, human causes and deplorable conditions of roads (Olusayo et al., 2015). In
addition to this, a new cause of road traffic accidents in Nigeria is the emergence of ‘road traffic
injury immunity’ (Daniel, 2011). This is a situation in which motorcyclists and or other
motorists rely on ancestral influence, powers, charms to protect them from road traffic injuries
or even protect them from injuries if accidents eventually occur. This perceived protection is
one of the factors responsible for several reckless driving on Nigerian roads (Daniel, 2011).
Over 50% of all road traffic deaths occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists with
about 93% of the global road traffic fatalities occurring in developing countries (WHO, 2020).
In Nigeria, a four-year overview of road traffic mortalities in Lagos, South-West Nigeria

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between 2010 and 2014 showed that 23.4% were attributed to motorcycle injuries before
introduction of safety helmet law while this proportion dropped to 11.2% after the introduction
of the safety helmet law (Emiogun et al., 2016).
In addition, most studies on the relevance of compulsory helmets laws supported the
effectiveness of these laws in reducing severe disabilities, mortalities and morbidities
associated with road accidents (Emiogun et al., 2016); for instance, there are safety helmet laws
in countries such as Uganda, Ghana, Iran, Brazil, Spain, Scotland and India (Kudebong et al.,
2011; Carrasco et al., 2012; Heydari et al., 2012)
Nigeria however enacted federal laws on mandatory use of safety helmets in 2006 (Solagberu
et al., 2006); Federal republic of Nigeria, 2004) but this laws and regulations guiding
motorcycles use and safety on Nigerian roads since the last five decades were not effectively
enforced by relevant agencies and as a result, significant proportion of motorcyclists do not
comply with these regulations citing different reasons such as high cost of safety helmets, un-
availability of these gadgets and in some instances, cultural beliefs about taboos related with
use of these gadgets. Prominent among these cultural beliefs exist among the Yorubas; a major
ethnic group occupying South-Western part of Nigeria where there are strong cultural belief
and allegiance to ancestral injunctions including perceived cultural restrictions and taboos
towards on use of items like safety helmets because of its perceived means for casting spells
on the user. These socio-cultural misconceptions pose serious challenges to compliance with
the use of safety helmets in this region of the country. This study is therefore poised to
investigate the perception, attitude and compliance with use of safety helmet as a preventive
measure against crash injuries among commercial motorcyclists of the Yoruba ethnic descent
in South-West Nigeria with aim of exploring and having a documented record on the
perception of commercial motorcyclists from Yoruba ethnic origin in South-West Nigeria
about safety helmet use, the attitude of the motorcyclists towards safety helmet use and the
level of compliance with the use of safety helmet in South-West Nigeria.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

Variables and their Measurements
Dependent variable
Compliance with use of safety helmet: Compliance is described as adherence to rules and
regulations relating to safety helmet use.
Perception is described as a commercial motorcyclist’s understanding and interpretation of the
concept of safety helmets use.
Independent variable: This include selected socio-demographic variables (age and highest
level of education) of commercial motorcyclists
Commercial motorcyclists are motorcycle riders that engage the use of motorcycles as means
of transportation for other individuals (passengers). Such motorcycle riders consider
motorcycle transportation business as a means of likelihood.

37 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

Study design
The study adopted sequential explanatory mixed method design using both quantitative and
qualitative data collection methods.
Study setting
The study was conducted among commercial motorcyclists in Ile-Ife; the headquarter of Ife
Central Local Government Area, Osun State, South-West Nigeria. Ile-Ife is believed to be the
Cradle of the Yorubas: a major ethnic group in Nigeria and one of the most important historical
town in South-West Nigeria (The town is one of the largest urban centers in Osun State, South
West Nigeria and probably the oldest town of the Yoruba people (one of the main ethnic groups
in Nigeria). The Yorubas have strong affiliations, allegiance and cultural belief to ancestral
lineage with several restrictions and taboos which make the ethnic group renowned for the
highest number of traditional and cultural activities in Nigeria. Other ethnic groups like Hausas
and Igbos constitute minorities in the town. Ife Central Local Government area where this study
was conducted consists of 11 political wards which are for political and administrative
purposes.
Sampling technique for quantitative study
Using Fisher’s formula for estimating single proportion, 95% level of confidence and degree
of accuracy at 0.05, a sample size of 200 commercial motorcyclists was estimated. These were
selected through a two-stage sampling technique: In the first stage, five political wards were
selected from a total of eleven wards in the Local Government Area through a simple random
sampling technique (balloting). Second stage involved selection of forty commercial
motorcyclists in each selected ward by convenience sampling method. The instrument for data
collection was pretested during a pilot study among commercial motorcyclists within Obafemi
Awolowo University campus located within Ife Central Local Government Area.
Sampling technique for qualitative study
Four sessions of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were held with eight discussants selected by
snowballing sampling technique to participate in each session of the FGD giving a total of 32
participants. Participants for the FGD were selected based on age groups such that two sessions
of FGD were held among motorcyclists aged 20- 29 years old and 30-39 years old respectively
(these age groups constitute a significant proportion of motorcyclists from the quantitative
aspect of this study).
Quantitative data collection
Quantitative data was collected with a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire.
The questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic variables of
commercial motorcyclists, assessed the perception of the commercial motorcyclists about use
of safety helmet as a preventive measure against crash injuries, determined the level of
compliance to the use of safety helmet and identified factors that could enhance as well as
hinder compliance to use of safety helmet by commercial motorcyclists.

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DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
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Qualitative data collection

Focus group discussion (FGD) explored motorcyclists’ perception about safety helmets use
and associated factors. Each session of focus group discussion was conducted by the
researchers with help of research assistants who have been previously trained in qualitative
data collection. Each episode of the focus group lasted 45 minutes 55 minutes and was
conducted in Yoruba language which is the native language of participants. The aim of the
study was explained to participants and informed consent taken for the audio proceedings of
the discussion to be recorded by tape recorder to complement field notes. All relevant
documentation and audio recordings were extracted.
Instrument for quantitative data collection
The semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire has four sections. Section A
contains socio-demographic variables of motorcyclists, Section B sought information on
perception about use of crash helmets, and Section C obtained information about motorcyclists’
attitude towards safety helmets, while Section D assessed motorcyclists’ level of compliance
with use of safety helmets. The questionnaire was translated into Yoruba language for good
understanding and objective responses from respondents.
Instrument for qualitative data collection
An FGD guide containing ten items was used to collect qualitative data. The FGD further
explored motorcyclists’ perception about safety helmet use and associated factors. The FGD
guide was translated into Yoruba language which is the native language of participants.
Data analysis
Quantitative data was imputed into SPSS version 22 and analysed at univariate and bivariate
levels. Univariate analysis used frequency and percentage distribution to present socio-
demographic characteristics of the motorcyclists. Bivariate analysis employed use of chi-
square statistics to examine association between selected socio-demographic variables (age and
highest level of education) and compliance with safety helmet use. Perception about use of
safety helmets was assessed using a five-point Likert scale. Perception was rated as positive or
negative. Attitude towards use of safety helmets by commercial motorcyclists was assessed
using a 5- point Likert scale. Attitude was categorized as good or poor. Compliance with use
of safety helmets in this study was assessed as a composite measure involving 3 items which
assessed the frequency of use of safety helmets, types/quality of safety helmets being used and
maintenance of the safety helmets. Compliance was assessed as good, fair and poor.
Qualitative findings from the focus group discussion were extracted, analysed and results
presented thematically. FGD findings were used to validate quantitative findings.
Ethical consideration
Permission was obtained from the authority of Ife Central local Government Area where this
study was conducted. Informed consent was also obtained from commercial motorcyclists’
prior data collection.

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RESULTS
Quantitative findings showed that 41% of the motorcyclists were within the 21-30 years age
groups while only 20% of respondents were within the age group 51-60 years (table1). This
probably might be due to the fact that young adults mainly engage in commercial motorcycle
business as means of livelihood in Nigeria. Educational qualification of the motorcyclists
showed that 40% of the motorcyclists have secondary school as educational qualifications
while 58.5% attended tertiary institution. This finding is probably a reflection of widespread
unemployment rate among graduates of tertiary institutions in Nigeria (Emiogun et al., 2016).
Table 2 showed that 82.5% of respondents have positive perception about the use of safety
helmets as a preventive measure against road traffic injuries while 15.5% have negative
perception with 2% being indifferent. Only 38% have a good attitude towards the use of safety
helmets while the majority (62%) have a poor attitude (table3). Findings also showed that only
22.5% of motorcyclists have good compliance with use of safety helmets.
Majority of the motorcyclists (57.5%) have fair compliance while 20% of the motorcyclists
were observed to have poor compliance with use of crash helmets (table 4). In addition, table
5 showed that 39% of the motorcyclists claimed that motorcycle helmet could be a source of
contagious infection hence could hinder the compliance to the use of safety helmet while 29.0%
believed that cultural taboo about motorcycle helmet being a medium for casting spells could
hinder its compliance, 18.5% believed inadequate enforcement by relevant agencies could be
a factor hindering compliance and 13.5% believe high cost of standard quality helmet could
hinder compliance with motorcycle helmet use (table5).
Table 6 showed that 50% of the motorcyclists responded that an increased awareness campaign
about safety helmet could enhance compliance to motorcycle helmet use, 18% responded that
motorcycle helmet price subsidy could enhance motorcycle helmet compliance while 23.0%
believed that enforcement of the crash helmet law could enhance motorcycle helmet
compliance.
Findings further showed a statistically significant relationship between motorcyclists’
educational qualification (p=0.03), ethnicity (p=0.01), perception about safety helmets
(p=0.04) and compliance with safety helmets (Table 6).
Qualitative findings
Findings from the qualitative survey resulted in development of 3 sub-themes and 8 sub-themes
(Table 7)
Perception about safety helmets
Participants at the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) opined that motorcycle helmet use is capable
of reducing the magnitude of injuries that could be sustained from road traffic accidents.
Participants also opined that the quality of the helmets also determine the extent of the
protection against injuries in case of road accidents. A few participants however retorted that
motorcycle helmets could be a source of infectious diseases in addition to being a medium to
cast spells. In expressing her opinion, a 28 year old motorcyclist retorted that:

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‘…Truly speaking, the motorcycle helmet can actually reduce the extent and severity of
injuries in case an accident occurs. I use helmet anytime am on my motorcycle to
protect me from sustaining severe injuries’ (a 28 year old motorcyclist)
The above submission was similar to the view of a 32 year old motorcyclist who opined
that motorcycle helmets could be source of infections or medium for spells:
‘…Am aware that motorcycle helmets can protect against severe injuries especially
head injuries if used properly, though use of helmet is not always convenient in addition
to the fact that infection can be contacted if someone shares an helmet ’. (a 32 year old
motorcyclist)
A 23 year old motorcyclist however differed in his response:
‘…..I do not believe the helmets could protect as such, because once an accident occurs,
the injuries are usually severe whether the rider uses helmets or not. The motorcycles
are made in such a way that there are no protective accessories attached that could
protect parts of the body such as the legs, thighs and the body’. (A 23 year old
motorcyclist)
Perceptions about compliance with use of safety helmet
Participants were asked to express their opinion regarding compliance and frequency of helmet
use. Participants generally opined that safety helmets should be used every time a rider is on
the motorcycle since the essence of its use is to protect against injuries. A few participants
however opined differently claiming non-enforcement of relevant laws as excuse for in-
frequent use of the safety helmets. Below are excerpts from participants to buttress the
submission above:
‘…I feel the motorcycle helmets should be used every time in order to protect the riders
against head injuries since no one could predict when accidents will occur’. (A 27 year
old motorcyclist)
The above response was similar to the response of a 32 year old participants who
responded that:
‘…Motorcycle helmets should be worn at all times but most passengers did not want to
put on the helmets. I think the law should also mandate passengers tom also put the
helmets on to protect them also from severe injuries’. (a 32 year old motorcyclist)
‘.. I put my helmet on whenever I am on my motorcycle so as to protect me. The helmets
also serve as caution for me to ride gently whenever am tempted to over speed’. (29
year old motorcyclist)
A 34 year old participant however retorted that he seldom uses the safety helmet
because he’s yet to procure a personal safety helmet.
‘…I don’t usually use a helmet, I don’t even have one. I don’t have enough money to
procure a helmet and am not under pressure to get it because even the law enforcement
agents are not enforcing it’. (A 34 year old motorcyclist)

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Response from the FGD also revealed that motorcyclists often improvise the standard safety
helmets citing reasons such as high cost of the standard recommended safety helmets,
unavailability and un-accessibility of the standard helmets. Below are excerpts from
participants:
‘…I use improvised helmets which are not convenient and often fall off from my head.
The recommended helmets are more expensive. I even know of someone who wanted to
buy the standard helmet but could not get it because the standard helmets are scarce
and not usually accessible’.
(A 32 year old motorcyclist)
‘.,.,. I cannot afford the real helmet because it’s very expensive. I usually use the
improvised one to avoid being arrested by the police and the road safety officials’. (a
36 year old motorcyclist)
Perception about inhibiting/enabling factors to safety helmets use
Participants at the FGD identified risk for contagious infections from sharing safety helmets,
cultural taboo about helmets being a medium for spells as reasons for poor compliance. Below
are few excerpts reflecting the above:
‘…I do not use helmet so as to avoid contacting scalp infections from sharing the
helmets with
other motorcyclists because a friend of mine once contacted scalp infection after
sharing the helmets’ (a 34 year old motorcyclist)
‘…Helmets could be a medium for spells if shared with other motorcyclists. My
culture (Yoruba) discourages sharing such items to be put on the head because the
head directs the fortune of an individual’ (a 37 year old motorcyclist)
Responses from participants below further revealed the cultural belief about the use
and sharing of motorcycle helmets among motorcyclists in this study area:
‘…I have had of people disappearing after placing helmet on their head, that’s one of
the reason why most motorcycle riders and passengers will not share helmets in my
area.in my home town, no one is permitted to use an helmets belonging to another
person’ (a 27 year old motorcyclist)
‘…It’s a common belief in my culture (Yoruba) that the head is the custodian of good
fortune, therefore no one should just put any item on his head to avoid being
influenced by demonic powers or strange influences’(a 23 year old motorcyclist)
Participants at the FGD further identified an increased awareness campaign, subsidy
on safety helmets and enforcement of motorcycle helmet law as factors that could
enhance compliance with helmet use among motorcyclists. Below are few excerpts:
‘…motorcyclists will comply with safety helmets use if law enforcement agents
intensify efforts to punish defaulters’ (a 36 year old motorcyclist)

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‘… Compliance with safety helmets could improve if awareness about the benefits of
its use is communicated to motorcyclists. This is in addition to government’s subsidy
on the standard safety helmets in order to encourage more people to procure the
standard helmets’ (a 21 year old motorcyclist)
‘…majority of motorcyclists are not aware about the importance of the safety helmet.
More motorcyclists need to be aware about the benefits and dangers associated with
safety helmets use’ (a 25 year old motorcyclist)

DISCUSSION
Findings from this study revealed that motorcyclists whose ages ranged between 21 and 30
years old constitute a significant proportion (41%) of commercial motorcyclists in Ile-Ife,
South West Nigeria (Table1). The WHO (2018) similarly published that road traffic injuries
were the leading cause of death among motorcyclists between ages 15-29 years old.
This study also revealed that the majority (82.5%) of the motorcyclists (table2) have positive
perception about use of safety helmets though only a third (38.0%) of the motorcyclists have a
good attitude towards use of the safety helmet. This finding contrasts the observation by
Mu'awiyyah & Sagir (2012) who found that 95.2% of motorcyclists in North-West Nigeria
have poor attitude towards motorcycle safety helmets use. Compliance with the use of safety
helmet among motorcyclist in this study however is considered low because only 22.5% of the
motorcyclists have good compliance with use safety helmet, 57.5% of the motorcyclists were
observed to have fair compliance while level of compliance among 20% was observed to be
poor. This observation was similar to responses from the FGD where compliance with safety
helmets use among participants was also low. This finding however corroborate the submission
of Ambak et al., (2011) who observed from a Malaysian study that only 46.6% of motorcyclists
complied with proper helmets use, 10.6% often untied the helmets while 42.8% were without
the safety helmets. Olakulehin et al. (2015) however observed in their study that 4.3% of
motorcycle riders studied use safety helmets. The low compliance rate observed in this study
might be responsible for severe disabilities and death resulting from motorcycle crashes
observed in hospitals especially in this study area.
This study further revealed that 39% of the motorcyclists identified helmet as a source of
contagious infection which hindered their use and compliance with the safety helmet while
29.0% identified cultural taboo about motorcycle helmet being a medium for casting spells as
a factor that hindered compliance. Participants at the FGD similarly identified risk for
contagious infections, cultural taboo about helmets being a medium for spells as reasons for
poor compliance. Participants at the FGD retorted that sharing of safety helmets has been
discouraged among the Yoruba culture because of perceived taboo and strong belief that
sharing a helmet could predispose an individual to spell in addition to the perceived possibility
of contracting scalp infections. Regarding factors that could enhance compliance with the
safety helmet, more than half (59%) of the motorcyclists responded that an increased awareness
campaign about safety helmet could enhance compliance to motorcycle helmet use, while about
one-fifth (23.0%) responded that enforcement of the crash helmet law could enhance
motorcycle helmet compliance. Eighteen percent however responded that introducing helmet
price subsidies could enhance compliance in addition to increasing awareness and enforcement

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of motorcycle helmet law. These factors were also identified during the focus group discussion
as capable of encouraging motorcyclists to procure standard helmets. The above observations
were consistent with findings by Olakulehin et al. (2015) who concluded in their study that
there was need for enforcement of safety helmet laws in addition to enlightenment programs
on use of safety helmets. Similarly, Adetunji & Aloba (2014) advocated enforcement of safety
helmet law in addition to other measures so as to improve compliance with use of safety
helmets.
Findings from this study further revealed that there is a significant relationship between
motorcyclists’ educational qualification (p=0.03), ethnicity (p=0.01), perception about safety
helmets (p=0.04) and compliance with safety helmets. This observation implies that
compliance with safety helmet use improves with increasing age of motorcyclists. The above
assertion is strengthened by the submission of Mu'awiyah & Sagir (2012) who observed in
their study that motorcyclists’ age significantly influenced compliance with safety helmets.

CONCLUSION
Majority of motorcyclists among the Yoruba ethnic majority have positive perception about
use of safety helmets, a significant proportion of the motorcyclists have good attitude towards
use of the safety helmet though compliance with use of the safety helmet was observed to be
low. Motorcyclists’ educational qualification, ethnicity, perception about safety helmets
significantly influenced compliance with safety helmets. Increase awareness, enforcement of
safety helmet laws and advocacy which takes cognizance of cultural contexts of motorcyclists
within this ethnic group are vital if fatalities from road traffic injuries are to be reduced in this
study area. It is therefore necessary for all stakeholders to channel more efforts towards
promoting factors that enhance compliance to the use of crash helmets such as increased
awareness campaign and enforcement of the crash helmet law if fatality and death from road
traffic accidents are to be reduced.
Recommendations for Public Health Practices
Awareness campaigns towards safety helmet use by stakeholders should take cognizance of
the socio-cultural context of motorcyclists in order to address various misconceptions relating
to safety helmets.
High quality standard helmets and other protective gadgets should be made available at
affordable costs to motorcyclists to enhance more compliance and in order to reduce
morbidity and mortality resulting from road traffic injuries.
Disclosure statement: Authors of this manuscript did not receive any financial assistance or
funding from any organization in the course of this study

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45 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

APPENDIX

Table 1. Socio-demographic Characteristics of Motorcyclists N=200

Variable Frequency %
Age
11 – 14 45 22.5
21 - 30 82 41.0
31 – 40 58 29.0
41 – 50 11 5.5
51 – 60 4 2.0

Marital status
Married 102 51.0
Single 98 49.0

Sex
Male 131 65.5
Female 69 34.5

Ethnicity
Yoruba 161 80.5
Hausa 15 7.5
Igbo 24 12.0

Religion
Christianity 108 54.0
Islam 88 44.0
Traditionalist 4 2.0

Highest level of education

Primary 3 1.5
Secondary 80 40.0
Tertiary 117 58.5
___________________________________________________________________________
Table 1 shows that 41.% of the motorcyclists were within the 21-30 years age groups while
only 20% of respondents were within the age group 51-60 years. This probably might be due
to the fact that young adults mainly engage in commercial motorcycle business as means of
livelihood.
The table also shows that 51% of respondents are married while 45% are unmarried.
Table 1 also revealed that 80.5% of respondents are of Yoruba ethnic group. This is largely
due to the fact that Ile-Ife where the study was conducted is a Yoruba town. In addition, fifty
four percent of the motorcyclists were Christians while only 4% were traditional worshipers
(traditional festivities and beliefs are held in high regard in Ile Ife). Educational Qualification

46 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

pattern shows that 40% of motorcyclists have secondary school as educational qualifications
while 58.5% attended tertiary institution. This finding is probably a reflection of widespread
unemployment rate among graduates of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Table2: Motorcyclists’ Perception about Use of Safety Helmet N=200
_____________________________________________________________
Perception Frequency %
_____________________________________________________________
Positive 165 82.5
Negative 31 15.5
Indifferent 4 2.0
_______________________________________________________________
Table 2 shows that 82.5% of respondents have positive perception about use of safety helmet
as
preventive measure against road traffic injuries while 15.5% have negative perception with
2%
being indifferent.
Table 3: Motorcyclists’ Attitude towards Use of Safety Helmet N=200
__________________________________________________________________________
Variables Frequency %
__________________________________________________________________________
Good attitude 76 38.0
Poor attitude 124 62.0

Table 3 shows that 62.0% of the motorcyclists have poor attitude towards use of safety
helmet.
Table 4: Compliance with Use of Safety Helmets N=200

Compliance Frequency N=200 %

Good compliance 45 22.5
Fair compliance 115 57.5
Poor compliance 40 20.0

Table 4 shows that only 22.5% of motorcyclists had good compliance with the use of safety
helmets while the majority of the motorcyclists (57.5%) had fair compliance. However, 20.%
had poor compliance with use of crash helmets.

47 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

Table 5: Factors that hinder Compliance with Safety Helmet Use

Factors that hinder compliance Frequency %

Belief that helmet is a source of 78 39.0

contagious infection
Cultural taboo about motor 58 29.0
motorcycle helmet being
medium for spells
High cost of standard 27 13.5
quality motorcycle helmet
___________________________________________________________________________
Table 5 shows that 78 (39.0%) motorcyclists believed that safety helmets are sources of
contagious infection which could hinder its use while 27 (13.5%) considered high cost of safety
helmet as factor that could hinder compliance with safety helmet use.

Table 6: Factors influencing Compliance with Safety Helmets N=200

Variables Compliance Statistic

Good Fair Poor Total χ2 df P value

Age group (Years) 35.56 3 0.14

11-20 6 21 18 45
21-30 23 50 9 82
31-40 8 40 10 58
41-50 8 4 3 15
Educational qualification 36.72 2 0.03
Primary 0 2 1 3
Secondary 27 35 18 80
Tertiary 18 77 22 117
Ethnicity 14.32 2 0.01
Yoruba 31 100 30 161
Hausa 10 5 0 15
Igbo 4 10 10 24
Motorcyclists’ attitude 12.73 1 0.12
Good 24 36 16 76
Poor 21 79 24 124
Motorcyclists’ perception 10.53 2 0.04
Positive 26 100 39 165
Negative 18 13 0 31
Indifferent 1 2 1 4
__________________________________________________________________________
Table 6 shows no significant relationship between motorcyclists’ age (p=0.14), attitude
towards safety helmets (p=0.12) and compliance with safety helmets.

48 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM
International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2021 (pp. 35-49) www.abjournals.org

Table 7: Qualitative findings on Perception about Safety Helmets

Main Theme Theme Sub-theme

Perception about Perception about safety helmets Helmet reduces extent of injuries
Use of Safety Helmets could be source of infection
helmets Helmets are medium for taboo or spells

Perceptions about compliance Safety helmets should be used every time

with use of safety helmet Compliance requires enforcement of
relevant laws

Perception about inhibiting or

Belief that helmet is a source of infections
enabling factors to safety
Cultural taboo about motorcycle helmet
helmets use being medium for spells
High cost of standard quality motorcycle
helmets
___________________________________________________________________________

49 Article DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/IJPHP-EOEECVUM