Prevalence of Road Risk Behaviors and Associated Factors Among Undergraduate College Students in Delhi: Findings From the Health Risk Behavior Survey.

BACKGROUND

Youth constitute one of the most vulnerable groups for practicing risky road behaviors. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are one of the leading preventable causes of disability and mortality among children and young adults across the globe.  Objective: To estimate the prevalence of road risk behaviors among college students of Delhi and to determine the factors associated with it.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to September 2021 across five administrative zones in Delhi, India. Six hundred seventy-five undergraduate college students were selected across five colleges using stratified random sampling.  Results: The mean age of the study participants was 19.62 years (S.D. = ± 1.328). Among the study participants, more females (52.6%) were present than males (47.4%). Almost one-fifth of the participants reported not wearing a seat belt while driving or riding in a car during the past 30 days. Some 37.2% of the participants reported using a mobile phone while driving a car within the past 30 days. The prevalence of riding in a car driven by a person after drinking alcohol was 17.4%. Similarly, the prevalence of drinking and driving was 17.2% amongst the study participants. The prevalence of not wearing a helmet while driving or riding a two-wheeler vehicle was 42.6%. The overall prevalence of risky road behaviors was 16.7%. The multivariate analysis results revealed the odds of road risk behaviors to be significantly higher among those who were alcohol users (adjusted odds ratio, aOR=7.3, confidence interval, CI=3.8-13.8), substance abusers (aOR=2.4, CI=1.4-4.3), and those belonging to rural areas (aOR=4.2, CI=2.4-7.3).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of road safety-related risky health behaviors was high among the study participants. The significant road-risk behaviors were not wearing a helmet while riding or driving a two-wheeler vehicle, texting or talking while driving, and driving a car under the influence of alcohol or drugs.