"Cubs Click It For Safety": a school-based intervention for Tween passenger safety

Area of Science:

• Pediatric safety
• Public health interventions
• Motor vehicle accident prevention

Background:

• Children aged 8-12 years (tweens) exhibit risk factors for motor vehicle injuries.
• Lack of restraint use and front seating are significant risks for this age group.
• Few interventions specifically target tweens for transportation safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a school-based educational intervention.
• To increase awareness and promote safer transportation habits among tweens.
• To encourage appropriate restraint use and seating positions.

Main Methods:

• Developed educational materials with a school mascot and utilized school media channels.
• Engaged selected students as peer messengers and evaluators.
• Conducted pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing reported and observed restraint use and seating positions for children and parents.

Main Results:

• High school support and student engagement were observed.
• Parental awareness regarding appropriate child restraint and seating improved.
• Child-reported restraint use increased from 78% to 89% (p < 0.001).
• Observed child restraint use increased significantly from 71% to 91% (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The school-based intervention demonstrated short-term positive effects on observed restraint use and knowledge.
• Findings encourage further investigation into sustained effectiveness.
• A controlled study is recommended to validate the intervention's long-term impact.