Pilot evaluation of a virtual training program for child injury prevention.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Injury Prevention
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Unintentional injuries are a primary cause of mortality in children.
• Traditional in-person injury prevention programs face accessibility challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual behavioral injury prevention program for children (ages 3-18) and their caregivers.
• To assess changes in injury prevention knowledge, perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions.

Main Methods:

• A 4-hour virtual training program was delivered online to 41 children and 14 caregivers.
• Training content was tailored to three developmental stages: ages 3-5, 6-12, and 13-18 years.
• Outcomes measured included knowledge, perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions regarding safety.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated significant improvements in self-efficacy for safety behaviors and knowledge of injury prevention strategies.
• Behavioral intentions to engage in safe practices increased post-training.
• Caregivers of young children reported a slight decrease in perceived child vulnerability to injury.

Conclusions:

• Remote, virtual delivery of behavioral injury prevention training is feasible and effective in promoting behavior change.
• The program shows potential for reducing child injury risk, a leading cause of child death.
• Scalable virtual programs warrant further research and dissemination to address unintentional injuries in children.