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Education of young children concerning poison prevention
Insights
A poison prevention puppet play effectively educates young children on avoiding accidental poisonings. This accessible program positively impacts children's attitudes toward safety, reducing risks from common household hazards.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Safety
- Pharmaceutical Education
Background:
- Accidental poisonings cause approximately 5,000 deaths annually in the U.S., with children under 5 being particularly vulnerable.
- Leading causes of poisoning in young children include medications, houseplants, and household cleaning agents.
- A continuous need for effective poison prevention education exists due to the transient population of young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement an accessible poison prevention education program for young children.
- To assess the impact of a puppet play on children's attitudes toward poison prevention.
Main Methods:
- A committee from the Student American Kentucky Pharmaceutical Association created a 10-minute poison prevention puppet play.
- The play was designed for small volunteer organizations with minimal cost and training requirements.
- The program was presented to over 6,000 children across two years.
Main Results:
- Follow-up surveys indicated a positive effect on children's attitudes toward poison prevention.
- Teachers and students reported favorable outcomes regarding safety awareness.
Conclusions:
- A puppet play is a viable and effective method for delivering poison prevention education to young children.
- This educational approach demonstrates a positive impact on children's safety attitudes and behaviors.
- The program's low cost and ease of implementation make it suitable for widespread adoption by community organizations.
Abstract:
Every year about 5,000 fatal accidental poisonings occur in the United States. About 50 percent of those who die are children under the age of 5 years. Medications, house plants, and household cleaning agents are the three leading causes of accidental poisonings in this age range. Since there is an always changing population of children under the age of 5 years, there is a continuing need for education. A committee of the Student American Kentucky Pharmaceutical Association decided to become actively involved in filling the need for education by writing and performing a poison prevention puppet play. The 10-minute play is suitable for small volunteer organizations. It requires only a small financial outlay, and two persons with minimal training can present the play. The play has been shown to more than 6,000 youngsters in the past 2 years. Responses to followup surveys of both the teachers and the students have shown a positive effect on the children's attitudes toward poison prevention.