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Evaluation of the Be Poison Smart! poison prevention intervention
Barbara J Polivka1, Marcel J Casavant, Erika Malis
1The Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Columbus 43210, USA. polivka.1@osu.edu
Background:
Most poisonings to young children are preventable if parents/caregivers receive proper education and professional guidance. The Be Poison Smart! (BPS) (http:// www.bepoisonsmart.com) train-the-trainer intervention was designed to reach healthcare, education, and social service providers who impart the BPS message to parents/caregivers of young children.
Methods:
Using the "Do You Know How to Be Poison Smart!?" Evaluation Tool, service providers and parents/caregivers were assessed pre- and 6 weeks post-BPS intervention to determine changes in poison prevention knowledge and poison prevention behaviors. The dependent variables were pre-post differences in total poison prevention knowledge score and in total poison prevention behaviors score. Data were analyzed descriptively and using one-way ANCOVA. Effect sizes were also calculated.
Results:
Post-test response rates were 28.7% for the service providers (146 out of 509) and 12.4% for parents/caregivers (68 out of 549). The mean knowledge score for service providers showed a significant increase of 13% (95% Confidence interval (CI) = 8.35%, 17%) from a pre-test mean of 9.4 (total possible = 13). Poison prevention behaviors reported by service providers significantly improved by 24% (95% CI = 15.6%, 32%) from a pre-test score of 5.7 (total possible = 11). The mean knowledge score for parents/caregivers significantly increased by 16% (95% CI = 7.2%, 24%) from 8.1, and the mean number of poison prevention behaviors reported by parents/caregivers significantly improved by 11% (95% CI = 3%, 19%) from 6.9. The effect sizes ranged from 0.48 to 0.69.
Conclusions:
The BPS intervention increased the self-reported knowledge and behaviors of most participants.
