Effect of Health Education on the Riding Habits of Commercial Motorcyclists in Uyo, Southern Nigeria Effet de L’éducation a la Santé Sur Les Habitudes de Conduite de Motocyclistes a Uyo, Sud du Nigeria

BACKGROUND:The increasing number of motorcyclists in Nigeria has led to a rise in poor road safety practices leading to increased rate of accidents. This study was conducted to implement and evaluate the effect of safety education on riding habits of motorcyclists in Uyo, Nigeria. METHODS: The intervention study was conducted among commercial motorcyclists in Uyo with controls from another town in Akwa Ibom State. Baseline information was collected from both groups on their riding habits. Motorcyclists in Uyo were educated on appropriate road safety practices. Data was collected from both groups three months later and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11. RESULTS:A total of 200 respondents participated in the study, 100 per group. At 3 months postintervention, those riding when tired reduced in the intervention group from 69% at baseline to 42% (p<0.05), while in the control group it increased from 74% to 79%. Furthermore, those who rested during riding hours increased from 30% at baseline to 93% (p<0.05) in the intervention group, while it reduced from 40% to 36% in the control group. Those riding within speed limit in the intervention group increased from 37.5% at baseline to 56.6% (p < 0.05), while in the control group, it remained the same. Use of psycho-active substances reduced in the intervention group, though the changes were not statistically significant at p<0.05. CONCLUSION:Safety education improved many riding habits of motorcyclists in the intervention group. Road safety education is recommended for all motorcyclists to ensure safer road use. WAJM 2012; 31(1): 39–46.