Evaluation of a Curriculum‐Based Elementary School BikeSafe Program

Bibliographic Data

ID17337752
AuthorsMichelina M Witte (0000-0003-2323-9017, The KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami Florida USA, corresponding author), Alyson D Brady (0000-0001-7857-8812, The KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami Florida USA), Hyuk Kim (The KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami Florida USA), Tianhao Liu (0000-0002-3997-756X, Department of Public Health Sciences Biostatistics Collaboration and Consulting Core University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami Florida USA), Gillian A Hotz (0000-0002-9466-4769, The KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami Florida USA)
Year2026
Volume96
Issue6
Pagese70162-e70162
Publication date2026-05-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of School Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-4391 • E-ISSN: 1746-1561
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/josh.70162
PMID42086501
OpenAlexW7160308672
LanguageEN
References cited25

BACKGROUND: Children in urban areas face elevated risk for bicycle-related injuries, yet few evidence-based curricula address bicycle safety for elementary school physical education (P.E.) settings. METHODS: The BikeSafe Elementary School Curriculum (BESC) is an off-bicycle, standards-aligned program for grades 2-5. From August 2024 to May 2025, P.E. teachers at nine Miami-Dade County public elementary schools implemented the BESC with grades 2-3 (ages 7-8) and 4-5 (ages 9-11). Students completed pre-post assessments. McNemar's test evaluated pre-post changes for each question; the Wilcoxon signed-rank test assessed total score changes. RESULTS: Data from 159 younger and 85 older students showed significant gains: grades 2-3 improved their knowledge assessment scores from 14.99 (SD = 2.18) to 16.70 (SD = 1.76, p < 0.001), and grades 4-5 from 21.80 (SD = 2.21) to 23.32 (SD = 2.01, p < 0.001). Both younger and older students improved on the concepts of visibility, hand signals, and built environment awareness. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: BESC's minimal equipment needs support integration into P.E. programs, particularly in underserved or high-risk schools. Broader adoption may enhance youth injury prevention and safe cycling behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: BESC improved safety knowledge and is a scalable and alternative to on-bike instruction in elementary school settings

Curriculum · Knowledge level · Pilot test · Primary education · Program evaluation · Public health · School teachers · Test (biology) · Wilcoxon signed-rank test · Injury Epidemiology and Prevention · Occupational Health and Performance · Traffic and Road Safety

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