Prevention of spinal cord injury: an elementary education approach

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in permanent paralysis and most often happens to teenagers and young adults. High risk behaviors are most often the cause; therefore these injuries are often preventable. In response to a gap in existing prevention programs, an elementary age SCI prevention program was developed, designed for implementation by teachers. Evaluation was carried out via a quasi-experimental pre-post comparison group design. Experimental students demonstrated significantly improved knowledge of SCI and its prevention. Similar changes in self-reported safety belt use were not noted. Development of the curriculum, related grant activities, and plans for national dissemination are described.