Child pedestrian injury prevention project: student results

Abstract

Background: Few comprehensive pedestrian safety interventions for primary-school-age children have been developed and evaluated. This paper reports the impact of the 3-year (1995-1997) Child Pedestrian In jury Prevention Project (CPIPP) on a cohort of 1603 children followed from age 6 to 9 years. This multicomponent project comprised an educational intervention for students, their parents and teachers, and the local community, as well as several environmental interventions. The primary aim of CPIPP was to improve children's road-related behavior and to enhance the safety of their road environment.

Methods: Three communities were assigned to the treatment conditions: (1) high-education, community, and environmental interventions; (2) moderate-education intervention only; and (3) comparison (usual road safety education). Children's pedestrian knowledge and road crossing and playing behaviors were assessed using a pre- and posttest self-report questionnaire. Their self-reported road crossing behaviors were validated using an observational schedule and brief interview.

Results: Children in the high and moderate intervention groups were significantly more likely to cross the road with adult supervision (P = 0.013) and play away from the road (P = 0.000) than the comparison group. No differences were detected in children's pedestrian safety knowledge between the intervention and comparison groups.

Conclusions: While several methodological limitations may have influenced the study outcomes, these data nonetheless indicate that in the study sample the CPIPP educational intervention deaccelerated the natural increase in children's pedestrian-related risk behavior.