An adolescent injury intervention: selecting targeted behaviours with implications for program design and evaluation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Youth are vulnerable to injuries from risk-taking behaviors.
• Effective injury prevention programs require targeted behavioral interventions.
• The Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth (SPIY) program aims to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific behavior change targets for the SPIY program.
• To explore the implementation and evaluation of these targets within the program.
• To describe the process of selecting and operationalizing behavioral targets for adolescent injury prevention.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative survey of 267 Year 8 and 9 students (mean age 13.23) on risk-taking behaviors.
• Qualitative study with 30 students (ages 14-17) on injury and risk-taking experiences.
• Analysis of co-occurrence of injury risk behaviors, including alcohol use, transport, and violence.

Main Results:

• Three-quarters of students engaging in alcohol use, transport, or violence-related risk behaviors showed co-occurring injury risk behaviors.
• Detailed student accounts of risk-taking and injury experiences were collected.
• The study identified specific behaviors amenable to change within an adolescent population.

Conclusions:

• The process for selecting behavioral targets for injury prevention programs is outlined.
• Adolescent insights into risk behaviors are vital for program content and evaluation.
• Effective adolescent injury prevention, like SPIY, necessitates thorough preparatory work in identifying and operationalizing behavioral targets.