Will Mothers Use Free Household Safety Devices?

Abstract

\s=b\This study was intended to determine if mothers of small children would use free safety devices to help safety-proof their homes. The study population consisted of an experimental group of 101 families receiving general health education on home safety proofing and a control group of 104 families. Each of the 205 families received two types of safety devices: Kindergards (which are plastic locking devices for cabinets and so forth) and covers for electric outlets. The families were given identical instructions on their use. There was significant increase in the use of the outlet covers in both subgroups, with the experimental group using them more (P < .05) than the control group. There was no significantly increased use of the Kindergards.(Am J Dis Child 133: [61][62][63][64] 1979) Chi l dhood injuries are perhaps the most important yet least re¬ searched area in pediatrics. Accidents are the leading cause of mortality1 and the second leading cause of morbidity-in children. Preschoolers IL 60616 (Dr Dershewitz). are predictably at greatest risk of injuries in and around their homes. ' The two most commonly advocated measures that deal with this problem incorporate, to varying degrees, the need for environmental control (pas¬ sive measures) and modification of human behavior by health educa¬ tion.' " One of the primary aims of health education is to increase patient compliance. Indeed, the success of the former is often measured by the eval¬ uation of the latter.A carefully structured safety mes¬ sage can theoretically modify com¬ pliance. For example, studies indicate that such factors as the health threat posed by the child's illness, a mother's estimate that the threat will diminish if she follows instructions, specific knowledge of what one can do to prevent injury, and fear of disfigure¬ ment are all positively related to compliance.68 On the other hand, negative safety attitudes, cost, com¬ plexity, and disbelief in efficacy of adoption of new patterns of behavior are, in general, negatively related to compliance.""11 Other factors such as socioeconomic status and educational level may have little, if any, direct effect on compliance.12 This study is concerned with the following two questions: (1) Will mothers use safety devices provided free of charge? (2) Will general home safety health education improve com¬ pliance? Free safety devices were given to two groups of mothers: those involved in a formal home safetyproofing program (experimental [E] group) and those who acted as their control (C) group. Use of these devices was observed and compared between groups. It was hypothesized that the results would be favorable because the literature shows that "In general, mothers' beliefs regarding the value of preventive health measures and positive feelings about the sources of health care have been found to be associated with preventive actions taken on behalf of their children."13 Moreover, the chances of demonstrat¬ ing the expected results were thought to be enhanced by the study of a well-educated, ...

Home Safety: Development and Validation of One Component of an Ecobehavioral Treatment Program for Abused and Neglected Children

“…However, several points are pertinent to this issue. First, this research evolved from the findings of Dershewitz andhis colleagues (1977, 1979) which indicated that parents, even those from higher socioeconomic levels than those in our study, did not make even a limited set of changes that would have made their homes safe for children. Therefore, the merits of this study are based on the demonstration that a program can be provided which has effects on parents removing or relocating household hazards.…”

Prevention of Accidental Childhood Strangulation a Clinical Study

“…Active measures that require modifications of human behavior evoke less compliance than passive environmental measures. 9 Research is under way on making this information on childhood airways applicable to products with foreseeable use that could result in hanging or strangulation.…”

The Smoking Gun

“…20 Because families must bring their children in for routine medical examinations before the children can attend first grade, 21 health professionals have a unique opportunity for early intervention before gun injury, unintentional or intentional, manifests itself. Evidence is available to demonstrate that counseling by primary care clinicians to families with children aged 5 years and younger can influence prevention of burns and motor vehicle crashes [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] ; the same might also apply to prevention of gun injury through firearm safety counseling, as is evidenced by the existence of guidelines from respected medical organizations. While counseling older children and adolescents may also be critical, this study focuses on an early point in children's lives by addressing firearm safety counseling of patient families with children aged 5 years and younger.…”