Improving elementary students’ knowledge and behavior to prevent traumatic injury: the impact of a behavioral skills training model delivered by aspirational role models

Trauma is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality annually in the USA, accounting for 11% of deaths, most commonly due to car crashes, suffocation, drowning, and falls. Prevention is paramount for reducing the incidence of these injuries. As an adult level 1 and pediatric level 2 trauma center, there is a commitment to injury prevention through outreach and education. The Safety Ambassadors Program (SAP) was developed as part of this aim. Safety Ambassadors (SA) are high schoolers who teach elementary school students about safety/injury prevention. The curriculum addresses prevalent areas of injury risk: car/pedestrian safety, wheeled sports/helmets, and fall prevention. The study group hypothesized that participation in SAP leads to improved safety knowledge and behaviors and ultimately reduces childhood preventable injuries. Educational material was delivered by high school students (ages 16–18 years old). First and second-grade participants (ages 6–8 years old) completed pre- and post-course exams to assess knowledge (12 questions) and behavior (4 questions). Results were retrospectively reviewed, and pre/post training mean scores were calculated. Scores were calculated based on number of correct answers on pre/post exam. Comparisons were made using the Student t -test. All tests were 2-tailed with significance set at 0.05. Pre- and post-training results were assessed for 2016–2019. Twenty-eight high schools and 37 elementary schools were enrolled in the program with 8832 student participants in SAP. First graders demonstrated significant improvement in safety knowledge (pre 9 (95% CI 8.9–9.2) vs post 9.8 (95%CI 9.6–9.9), ( p < 0.01)) and behavior modification (pre 3.2 (95%CI 3.1–3.2) vs post 3.6 (95% CI 3.5–3.6), ( p < 0.01)). Similar findings were seen in 2nd graders: safety knowledge (pre 9.6 (95% CI 9.4–9.9) vs post 10.1 (95% CI 9.9–10.2), ( p < 0.01)) and behavior (pre 3.3 (95% CI 3.1–3.4) vs post 3.5 (95%CI 3.4–3.6), ( p < 0.01)). Conclusion : SAP is a novel evidence-based educational program delivered to elementary school students by aspirational role models. This model is impactful, relatable, and engaging when provided by participants’ older peer mentors. On a local level, it has demonstrated improved safety knowledge and behavior in elementary school students. As trauma is the leading cause of pediatric death and disability, enhanced education may lead to life-saving injury prevention in this vulnerable population. What is Known: • Preventable trauma is the leading cause of pediatric death in the USA and education has contributed to improvements in both safety knowledge and behavior. • The ideal delivery method for injury prevention education in children continues to be under investigation. What is New: • Our data suggest that a peer-based injury prevention model is both an effective education delivery method and easily instituted within existing school systems. • This study supports implementation of peer-based injury prevention programs to improve safety knowledge and practices. • With more widespread institution and research, we hope to ultimately reduce preventable childhood injury.