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Child Bicyclists’ Perceptions of Safety and their Environment: Applying the Haddon’s Matrix to a Qualitative Study

Author(s): Aucoin, Aryal, McCormack, Nettel-Aguirre, Winters, Hagel

Slidedeck Presentation:

Slide deck link

Abstract:

Background:

Bicycling is a beneficial form of physical activity for children; however, concerns of safety may contribute to decreases in participation. Bicycling injuries remain a leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths for children in Canada and there is a need for additional strategies to address this public health concern. Children interact with their environment in unique ways, different to adults, and bicycling participation is influenced by safety perceptions, so it is important to consider perspectives of the child. There is a gap in the literature concerning child bicyclists’ injury risk perceptions in relation to their environment, using qualitative methods grounded with a conceptual framework. The Haddon’s Matrix is a framework and tool generally used in quantitative studies and that supports interventions in injury prevention by investigating a variety of factors at distinct phases that contribute to injury. We propose that this will provide a promising bridge to qualitative understanding and methods in the field.

Aims:

To explore injured child bicyclists’ perceptions of safety and their environment using the Haddon’s Matrix and to assess the utility of applying this framework to qualitative data.

Methods:

Injured child bicyclists (aged 5-17) who presented to a participating children's hospital in one of three cities (Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto) from May-October 2021 were recruited for participation. Participants completed short interviews consisting of open-ended questions and responses were transcribed verbatim. The analysis will begin with deductive coding based on the different levels of the Matrix (Human/Host, Vector/Equipment, Environment – Physical and Social) and the phases: pre-event, event, and post-event. Following deductive coding, we will use inductive coding for a line-by-line analysis of the transcribed interviews allowing for emergence of additional sub-themes. Thematic analysis will be used to identify and analyze themes within data using the Braun and Clarke approach.

Results:

To date, 42 interviews with injured child bicyclists have been conducted. Preliminary findings suggest that child bicyclists identify features of their built environment and their own risky behaviours as factors that contribute to bicycling injury compared to vehicle-related or social environment factors. An emergent theme is that children frequently identify interactions with motor vehicles and a lack of separation as concerns and reasons for feeling unsafe while bicycling. Children also frequently identify surface quality and presence of debris as barriers to their safety. The Haddon’s Matrix when used for deductive coding allows for a structured approach and seems to be a helpful framework when approaching qualitative data in the field of injury prevention.

Discussion:

Next steps will include additional thematic analysis of all the interviews and finalizing theme generation along with further exploration of the application of Haddon’s Matrix. This research emphasizes the importance of participatory involvement of the child in matters pertaining to their needs and safety in their environment when considering future directions to address injury risk.

Conclusions:

Understanding the perceptions of safety of injured child bicyclists through the application of Haddon’s Matrix will allow for them to play more active roles in not only creating safer environments, but also spaces that are supportive of bicycling.