Spinal cord injury prevention in North America

Traumatic spinal cord injury is accompanied by enormous physical, psychosocial and financial losses for the individual and society. The age group most affected by spinal cord injury are adolescents and young adults and the incidence appears to be rising in North America. In the past, efforts have been directed towards minimising the effects of the injury, optimising rehabilitation and searching for a cure. Only recently has it been acknowledged that spinal cord injuries are preventable disabilities. Spinal cord injury prevention programmes have begun to be developed in several regions of the United States and Canada. The authors contend that effective prevention programmes should be based on understanding and application of the developmental characteristics of the target population and should incorporate behavioural as well as cognitive components. A prototype programme that would integrate these aspects is described. The purpose of this article is to describe the application of one educational approach to the issue of spinal cord injury prevention in adolescents. The approach may be useful for nurses involved in health education programmes dealing with other high incidence health problems of this age group, such as pregnancy and substance abuse.