U19 - Investigating Bicycle Helmet Fit For Children to Determine Viable Customer Segments for Product Development

Friday, October 10, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT

Location: Exhibit Hall F, G & H

Presenting Author(s)

Nicole E.-P Stark, PhD

Research Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech
Christiansburg, Virginia, United States

Co-Author(s)

WM

William Makowski

Presidential Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow
Virginia Tech, United States
TM

Thomas Martin

Program Director
National Science Foundation, Division of Information and Intelligent Systems, United States

Last Author(s)

Andy Schaudt

Director of Life Sciences
Rimkus
Christiansburg, Virginia, United States

Introduction: : In 2023, there were an estimated 10.9 million children that ride bikes (Sagen, 2025). In addition, there were over 240,000 nonfatal bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) for adolescents in the United States from 2009 to 2018 (Sarmiento et al. 2021). The problem of bicycle helmet fit is a common barrier for children to have a safe cycling experience. The use of improperly fitting helmets for children, and its relationship to greater risk of injury, has been identified over the last twenty years (Rezendes, 2006; Bromell & Geddis 2017). In addition, current helmet shapes and sizes are not representative of children’s head shapes and sizes, which contributes to the problem of bicycle helmet fit and head injuries (Rezendes, 2006; Ellena et al. 2016). Rivara et al. found cyclists with poor helmet fit have “a 1.96-fold increased risk of head injury,” and a subsequent study found the risk to be “twice as high” from the Rivara et al. research (Rivara et al. 1999, 194; Romanow et al. 2014). The point is, helmets that do not fit can move out of the proper position during a crash and increase the risk of injury following an impact (Thai et al. 2015).

To investigate bicycle helmet fit further, we developed the following research question: By implementing customer discovery and interviewing parents, how might we determine the most viable demographics of parents and children for future product development and commercialization?

Materials and

Methods: : We conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews with parents from six different demographics, totaling eighty interviews. Demographics of parents included parents who bought a baby seat or bike trailer; parents who bought a low-end balance bike for their child; parents who bought a high-end bike for their child; and parents who bought a high-end bike for their teenager.

The interviews were conducted over the phone and recorded with a digital recorder. Recording the interviews over the phone allowed us to fully engage in the interview to appropriately ask follow-up questions, without having to focus on writing down every response. Some real-time observations were written down during the interview to capture immediate feedback. Each interview was transcribed. During the transcription process, we identified problems that were expressed by the participant, which challenged and supported our hypotheses, as well as found new and unexpected themes expressed by participants. The interviews were coded and co-triangulated for a more in-depth analysis of the data.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: We reached out to 129 parents, 62 parents responded, and 31 interviews were conducted. Problems with bicycle helmet fit were themes that emerged from the interviews. The theme of helmet fit was specific to the demographic of parents who bought a high-end bike for their child. Table 1 depicts the types of problems, as well as how many people experienced the problems, for the demographic of parents who bought a high-end bike for their child.

For these parents, just under a third of their children experienced a severe problem with bicycle helmet fit. This finding suggests that helmet fit was a concern for this demographic of parents and that they are potential early adopters of a solution that addresses this issue. The parents who experienced the severe problem of helmet fit adapted by continually looking for better-fitting helmets that did not work, delaying their child’s introduction to biking, using a helmet from another activity, or using an ill-fitting helmet as they continued to search for other options.

Conclusions
Thirty-one of the eighty interviews were conducted with parents who bought a high-end bike for their child. For this group of parents, we identified a problem with bicycle helmet fit from the interviews. Future product development could address helmet fit to reduce and prevent head injury through specific design studies and technology development.

Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional): : References
Bromell, R. J., & Geddis, D. C. (2017). Child cyclists: A study of factors affecting their safety. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 53(2), 145-148.
Ellena, T., Subic, A., Mustafa, H., & Pang, T. Y. (2016). The Helmet Fit Index – An intelligent tool for fit assessment and design customisation. Applied Ergonomics, 55, 194–207.
Makowski, William & Martin, Thomas & Schaudt, W. (2025). Integrative Bicycle Helmet Fit. 10.54941/ahfe1006164.
Rezendes, J. L. (2006). Bicycle helmets: overcoming barriers to use and increasing effectiveness. Journal of pediatric nursing, 21(1), 35-44.
Rivara, F. P., Astley, S. J., Clarren, S. K., Thompson, D. C., & Thompson, R. S. (1999). Fit of bicycle safety helmets and risk of head injuries in children. Injury Prevention, 5(3), 194–197. p. 196.
Romanow, N. R., Hagel, B. E., Williamson, J., & Rowe, B. H. (2014). Cyclist head and facial injury risk in relation to helmet fit: a case-control study. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 34(1). p. 4.
Thai, K. T., McIntosh, A. S., & Pang, T. Y. (2015). Bicycle helmet size, adjustment, and stability. Traffic injury prevention, 16(3), 268-275.
Sagen, E. (2025). A Classic Childhood Pastime is Fading. The Atlantic. Theatlantic.com
Sarmiento, K., Haileyesus, T., Waltzman, D., Daugherty, J. (2021). Emergency department visits for bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries among children and adults—United States, 2009–2018. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 70.