A school-based program to increase seatbelt use.
To improve rates of seatbelt use in young school children and their parents, a curricular intervention was evaluated in a before-after trial over a 15-week period. A public school for pre-kindergarten through second grade (ages 4 to 8 years) in Yonkers, New York, was studied; all of 422 students were included and finished the study. A sequential group of parent drivers were also evaluated, although they were not subject to active intervention. All students were involved in a month-long curricular intervention to raise their awareness of seatbelt use and car safety ("May is Buckle-up Month"). Independent professional observers measured seatbelt use in a nonblinded manner before the intervention, after the intervention, and 1 month after the intervention. Belt use among students increased from 46% to 66% (P less than .01), and stayed at 63% at follow-up, although boys showed an insignificant change. Parent use improved from 47% to 61% (P less than .01), and remained at 62% at follow-up. Intensive curricular exposure to the use of seatbelts can measurably improve the use of belts by young school children. Parental behavior also shows a marked improvement. Such interventions can be organized by community health practitioners, including those in full-time practice, with minimal funding.
Morrow
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Family Practice Residency Program, St. Joseph's Medical Center, Yonkers, New York.
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010290:Parents; D012574:Schools; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors