This paper describes a new approach to site selection for bicycle helmet use counts of young cyclists. It also reports the relative effectiveness and related costs of two alternative approaches to the selection of observations for these counts. The community based (COBA) method of site selection requires asking community informants to identify locations frequented by young cyclists. In the bicycle club/map (CLMA) method, site selections are based on recommendations from cycling club members of sites where cyclists are likely to be found, and through identifying local features through examination of maps. These alternative site selection methods were compared, in relation to their total effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in locating young cyclists. Although it used fewer observer hours and found fewer sites in a sparsely populated rural county, the COBA method observed more young riders there than did the CLMA method in two densely populated urban counties. It also found between 1.9 and 4.6 times more under-16 riders per observer hour. The costs of observing a young rider were 2.9 to 7.0 times lower with the COBA method than with the CLMA method. Therefore, COBA site identification is more efficient and cost-effective than CLMA site identification.
Abstract