An intervention for the development of safety belt use behavior in taxi drivers in Ankara Çankaya district, Dikmen

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intervention to improve the seatbelt the knowledge, ideas and behaviors of taxi drivers serving in taxi ranks located in Dikmen, Çankaya district of Ankara province. There are two stages of this interventional research and there is no control group in the research. 342 people participated in the first phase of the study which was conducted in April 2019 by means of a data collection form consisting of fifty-two questions. After this stage, brochures were given to the participants at three different times within the scope of the five-month and posters were hung at the taxi ranks. 339 people took the first brochure, 336 people took the second brochure, and 335 people took and read the third brochure. All of the participants stated that they saw the posters hanged at the taxi ranks. Following the intervention, the second assessment study was completed in October 2019. In the second stage, 339 out of 342 people who participated in the first stage were reached. At this stage, 27 questions were included in the data collection form. "Knowledge score" was calculated by making use of the questions in the data collection forms for ease of calculation and interpretation. While the correct answers was assigned 1 point, the wrong or ''I do not know'' answers was assigned 0 point. The highest possible score for the participants who answered all questions correctly was 14 points. In this research, knowledge, ideas and behaviors related to the use of seatbelts and the change of some related factors were examined. During the statistical analysis of the data of the research; Mcnemar and Wilcoxon tests were used to interpret the pre-intervention and post-intervention comparisons and levels were considered statistically significant. When the change in the knowledge points of the participants was examined, it was found that the mean score increased from 6,1±2,8 to 10,8±1,9 after the intervention. The difference between the median score points before and after the intervention was statistically significant (p<0,001). In the study, some of the participants' opinions were also changed. For example; 'Seatbelt warning signal should be in every vehicle' proposition increased from %71,1 to % 84,4 after the intervention (p<0,001). In the study, an increment was observed in the frequency of the seatbelt wearing behaviors of the participants. The frequency of using a seatbelt was %17,4 in the commercial vehicle and %21,5 in the private vehicle before the intervention. The frequency of always using the seatbelt after the intervention has increased to 49.0% in commercial vehicles and %37,8 in private vehicles. A statistically significant difference was found between pre and post-intervention in both commercial and private vehicles (p<0,001). At the beginning of the study, %11,5 of the participants suggested to improve the behavior of seat belts and %65 of the recommendations were on educational intervention. As a result of this study, % 91,4 of the participants stated that they found the study useful, and this hints that such training can be important steps to improve the health about seatbelt. In this context, the establishment of programs with the multidisciplinary approach of public authorities and professional organizations such as the Ministry of Health and the General Directorate of Security can provide success in future improvements. Also; It is thought that campaigns promoting social participation in raising awareness can also contribute to the health promotion perspective.