Correlates of seat-belt use by adolescents: implications for health promotion.
This study examined the psychosocial and behavioral correlates of seat-belt use among 1,728 10th-graders in four Northern California high schools. Parent and friend seat-belt use patterns were most highly correlated with student seat-belt use (r = 0.66 and r = 0.61, respectively) and together accounted for 46% of the variation in use. These relationships held across differences in sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Failure to wear seat belts was associated with a higher use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and cocaine; more tolerance toward speeding and drinking while driving; less exercise; and more preference for fat in the diet. Our findings attest to the power of parent and peer influences in shaping seat-belt use by adolescents and suggest that not wearing seat belts can be conceptualized as one facet of a pattern of general risk-taking behavior. These findings suggest several possible educational interventions to increase seat-belt use by adolescents.[1]References
- Correlates of seat-belt use by adolescents: implications for health promotion. Maron, D.J., Telch, M.J., Killen, J.D., Vranizan, K.M., Saylor, K.E., Robinson, T.N. Preventive medicine. (1986) [Pubmed]
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