The Injury Prevention Program to Reduce Early Childhood Injuries: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric injury prevention
• Public health interventions
• Child safety research

Background:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics developed The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) in 1983.
• TIPP aims to assist pediatricians in preventing unintentional injuries in children.
• The effectiveness of TIPP had not been formally evaluated prior to this study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) on reported injuries.
• To assess TIPP's effectiveness in the first two years of a child's life.

Main Methods:

• A stratified, cluster-randomized trial was conducted at four academic medical centers.
• Two centers implemented TIPP screening and counseling during well-child checks (WCCs) for children aged 2-24 months.
• Parent-reported injury data were collected at WCCs and analyzed using proportional odds logistic regression.

Main Results:

• A total of 781 parent-infant dyads were included in the analysis.
• Sites implementing TIPP showed a significant reduction in the adjusted odds of reported injuries compared to control sites.
• The reduction in injury odds ranged from 23% at 4 months to 73% at 12 months.

Conclusions:

• The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) led to a significant decrease in parent-reported injuries.
• The study supports the implementation of TIPP in routine well-child care.
• Findings are particularly relevant for predominantly low-income, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black families.