Citation

Kirsch SED, Pullen N. Health Promot. Pract. 2003; 4(2): 138-145.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Society for Public Health Education, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1524839902250765

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Of the 500,000 children in the United States who are injured in bicycle crashes annually, 252 die--97% of whom were not wearing a helmet. Although many intervention programs promote the use of helmets by children, a paucity of school-based evaluation studies exist that report students' knowledge retention or behavioral changes. The purposes of this study were to identify associations between student-reported knowledge of safety-related behaviors, reports of current safety-related practices, and students' participation in the Safety Central program while in the 4th grade. The sample consisted of 284 students currently enrolled in 5th and 6th grades.

FINDINGS showed a statistically significant association between participation in the Safety Central program and retention of knowledge and enactment of safety messages after a 1- and 2-year period. Motivators and barriers for helmet use were also identified. Implications for modifications to the content and delivery of the program and future evaluations are addressed.

Language: en