Determinantes e padrões de utilização da bicicleta e acidentes de trânsito sofridos por ciclistas trabalhadores da cidade de Pelotas.

Abstract

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, with objective of studying determinants and patterns of bicycle usage as a mode of transportation amongst workers. Accidents during commuting and use of safety equipments were also studied. The sample included 1705 workers who lived in the urban area of Pelotas and used modes of transportation during commuting, aged 15 years or more. The crude and adjusted analyses were performed using the Poisson Regression, taking into account the design effect. The prevalence of bicycle usage was 17.2% (CI95% 15.4% - 19.0%). Male workers, with low schooling and low economic level presented higher prevalence. Bicycle usage was more frequent among workers belonging to first quintile of economic level. Less than 1% of the bicycles featured the safety equipments demanded by the Brazilian Traffic Code and 15% did not feature brakes. Nearly 6% of the bicyclist workers have suffered accidents with injuries during the last 12 months. We conclude that bicyclist workers are priority for interventions aimed at reducing traffic accidents.