Evaluation of a first aid and home safety program for Hispanic migrant adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Unintentional injuries are the major cause of death among children, adolescents, and young adults. This article presents an evaluation of an injury-prevention program for 11- to 16-year-old, Hispanic migrant youth.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial with two conditions: first aid and home safety training and tobacco and alcohol prevention. Participants were assessed at baseline, at immediate post-intervention, and at 1-year follow-up.


METHODS
A total of 660 Hispanic adolescent and parent pairs participated in a program entitled Sembrando Salud (sowing the seeds of health).


METHODS
The intervention consisted of two conditions: first aid and home safety training and tobacco and alcohol prevention. Both groups were exposed to an eight-session, multimedia program presented by bilingual, bicultural college students. The sessions consisted of lectures, discussions, and skills development and practice.


METHODS
To examine the efficacy of the first aid and home safety intervention, adolescents were assessed for changes in first aid confidence, knowledge of items in a first aid kit, knowledge of how to respond in an emergency situation, acquisition of a first aid kit, and behavioral skills testing in response to two emergency scenarios.


RESULTS
Similar changes in confidence were observed in both groups after the intervention. Participants in the first aid and home safety program were better able to identify items to include in a first aid kit, how to respond in an emergency situation, and reported fewer erroneous victim-caring procedures than the tobacco and alcohol prevention group.


CONCLUSIONS
Sembrando Salud was successful at achieving and maintaining change in confidence and knowledge of first aid and emergency response skills over a yearlong period.
Campbell
N R
NR
Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92123, USA.
Ayala
G X
GX
Litrownik
A J
AJ
Slymen
D J
DJ
Zavala
F
F
Elder
J P
JP
D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000193:education*