Does injury prevention education initiate household changes in a Spanish-speaking minority population?

Young children from low income families are among the most affected population of unintentional injury. This non-randomized longitudinal study examined knowledge for home and child safety with an injury prevention training offered to parents of children who reside in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Eighty eight parents received the training and pre-and post-test surveys were used to measure knowledge outcomes. A follow-up survey was conducted 2 months after the educational intervention to identify how many parents reported household and safety behavior changes as a result of the training. The most significant change in behavior, as it pertains to the household, was related to locking and storage of dangerous cleaning chemicals. Other significant changes in behavior were in areas that directly related to the child such as learning how to swim, use of sun block and fire safety in the home. This study suggests that tailored trainings can improve parent knowledge and change in behaviors for the promotion of safety activities to avoid risks for unintentional injuries. Further, the study identified certain at-risk areas that need to be addressed from an educational perspective. These areas include bicycle and water safety; specifically, the use of protective gear when bicycling; understanding and adhering to traffic rules when bicycling; and, the dangers of drowning in small quantities of water.