Risk taking in young Hispanic children.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to examine risk taking and daring behavior in preschool-age Hispanic children. The study sought to describe aspects of children's personality, behavior, and culture that may inform us of their propensity to take risks that lead to injuries.


METHODS
Forty-five children (4 to 5 years of age) and their parents, drawn from a primary care practice, participated in the study. Instruments completed by the families included the Acculturation Scale. Child Shyness Report, Injury Report, and the Injury Behavior Checklist. Children were interviewed about risk taking and daring behavior using a projective technique (Child Sensation Seeking Profile).


RESULTS
These children, irrespective of gender and socioeconomic status, reported similar rates of daring and risk taking behavior. Injury behaviors were not predicted by personality profiles of shyness or the child's self-report of risk taking and daring behavior. Actual injuries increased with higher levels of acculturation, but children's injury behaviors reported by parents were low in comparison with other populations. Discrepancies were observed between parental perception and report of children's injury behavior and children's expressed preferences in some domains of daring and risky behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Primary care providers must consider ethnic differences in rates and causes of injury when developing interventions and injury prevention programs. PNPs can use these findings to better meet the health promotion goals of Healthy Children 2000.
Kennedy
C M
CM
Department of Family Health Care Nursing, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0606, USA.
Rodriguez
D A
DA
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D011320:Primary Health Care; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012495:San Francisco; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology