Effects of service learning on teen seat belt use

The specific aim of the research was to evaluate the impact of a targeted, school-based, peer-to-peer, service learning intervention that promotes seatbelt use by students in Jackson public high schools. The study sampling frame included all students (n= ~ 8,493/year) enrolled in the eight high schools (4 intervention and 4 control schools). A school-based, service learning intervention was used in which students developed and implemented an intervention that utilized the principles of service learning. Thirty-one waves of parking lot observations were conducted across the four years of the study resulting in 72,212 observations. Study findings showed that the service learning intervention produced statistically significant increases in seat belt use during the intervention phases over non-intervention phases. During each service learning phase, seatbelt use increased by roughly 15%-18% and as much as 56% (b=0.4416, OR 1.56) after controlling for school, vehicle and driver characteristics. This increase is on top of a secular increase in seatbelt use over time of 4.8% (b=0.047, OR=1.048, p<0.0001) per semester over the four academic years. Results of the three hierarchical linear models showed that when compared to vans, driver seatbelt use was lower in cars (OR = 0.84) and pickup trucks (OR = 0.80). Higher rates of seatbelt use were observed for female passengers (OR=2.79), and adults passengers (OR=2.25). Compared to Whites and others, African American passengers had lower rates of observed seatbelt use (OR=0.29). Rates were higher when the driver was a female (OR=1.15) and lower when the driver was an adult (OR=0.86).