Specific Aim 1 - In collaboration with partners in Ross County, renovate and develop playgrounds in Chillicothe. Specific Aim 2 - In collaboration with partners in Ross County, promote safe play and play areas for children on farms.
Injury is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among children in the United States. Because children spend much of their time playing, it is important that they have safe play environments where they can challenge themselves and develop physically, mentally, and socially. The SPARK Project will focus its intervention in Ross County, Ohio, an area with more than 930 farms. Prior to this project, relatively little has been done to promote the prevention of injuries to children who live and play on farms. The specific aims of this project are as follows: * In collaboration with partners in Ross County, renovate and develop playgrounds in Chillicothe, Ohio. * In collaboration with partners in Ross County, promote safe play areas for children on farms. The SPARK Project will employ a multi-faceted approach to injury prevention, centered on community partnership and collaboration. Utilizing methodology that was successfully developed and implemented as part of the Community Action for Playground Safety (CAPS) Program in Columbus, the SPARK Project will combine both active and passive injury prevention strategies to reduce playground and play-related farm injuries to children in Ross County.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
311
Playgrounds in Chillicothe will be renovated based on priorities determined by audits.
Educational materials will be developed and distributed in Ross County.
The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Change in Playground Hazards
The investigators hypothesize that the decrease in the number of identified playground hazards (comparing each playground to itself from the year 1 baseline survey to the year 3 follow-up survey utilizing a playground hazards checklist) will be significantly greater for the intervention playgrounds compared with non-intervention playgrounds in Circleville, Pickaway Co. The percentage increase in the number of playgrounds with adequate safety surfacing will be used as a proxy for playground hazardousness.
Time frame: Year 1 baseline to year 3 follow-up
Playground and Farm Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Composite Scores
The investigators hypothesize that the improvement in the playground safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey composite scores and farm audits from the baseline in year 1 to the follow-up in year 3 will be significantly greater for parents residing in Ross County than for parents in the non-intervention counties (Morrow and Pickaway).The playground safety KAP survey consisted of 7 items and individuals could receive a summed score of 0-7, with a score of 7 indicating mastery of the material.
Time frame: Year 1 baseline to Year 3 follow-up
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