Health Promotion International, Vol. 9, No. 4, 241-248, 1994
© Oxford University Press 1994
research-article |
Preventing accidental injury to young children in the home using volunteers
Discipline of Behavioural Science in Relation to Medicine, Hunter Centre for Health Advancement Wallsend, NSW, Australia The Maitland Hospital Maitland, NSW, Australia
Address for correspondence: Address for correspondence: The Secretary Discipline of Behavioural Science in Relation to Medicine Hunter Centre for Health Advancement Locked Mail Bag 10 Wallsend 2287 New South Wales Australia
Accidental injury in the home is a major cause of death and ill-health among young children. Reducing home safety hazards by the use of safety devices such as stair barriers and safety taps has the potential to prevent home injuries. Little is known about levels of home safety hazards or how to encourage parents to reduce hazards. The Safe Place Project examined parents' knowledge of home safety and the prevalence of safety hazards in homes where there were young children. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of a low-cost strategy aimed at reducing home safety hazards. The strategy used trained volunteers to provide home safety checks and tailored safety education in conjunction with increasing the availability of home safety devices. One hundred and six families with young children participated in the project. Some homes contained many hazards, with 43% of the sample having more than 10 home safety hazards. At follow-up, the intervention group showed a significant reduction in home hazards and a trend towards an increase in knowledge of home safety.
Key words: accidents at home; preschool children; wounds and injuries-prevention and control
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