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Video intervention changes parent perception of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety for children
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Video intervention changes parent perception of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety for children

Taylor House, David C Schwebel, Samantha H Mullins, Andrea J Sutton, Christopher J Swearingen, Shasha Bai and Mary E Aitken
Injury prevention, Vol.22(5), pp.328-333
10/01/2016
DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041880
PMCID: PMC10437152
PMID: 26850471
url
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10437152/pdf/nihms-1922086.pdfView
Open Access

Abstract

BackgroundChildren aged <16 years account for 25% of deaths on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), despite public health and industry warning against paediatric use. Parents often underestimate instability and other risks associated with ATVs.ObjectiveTo determine if a brief intervention consisting of validated computer simulations of ATV performance with a child driver changes attitudes, beliefs and planned safety behaviours of parents of children who ride ATVs.Design/methodsParticipants were parents of children presenting to a children's hospital emergency department. All participants had children who had ridden an ATV in the past year. Subjects viewed a video simulation of ATVs in scenarios featuring 6-year-old and 10-year-old biofidelic anthropomorphic test devices. Parents completed a survey both before and after viewing the video to report attitudes/beliefs on ATV safety for children, use of safety equipment and family ATV use, as well as risk and safety perception.ResultsSurveys were collected from 99 parents, mostly mothers (79%), Caucasian (61%) and had high school education or less (64%). The intervention shifted parents’ belief in overall ATV safety (48% unsafe pre-intervention, 73% unsafe post-intervention, p<0.001). After viewing the video simulation, parents were almost six times more likely to perceive ATVs as unsafe (OR 5.96, 95% CI 2.32 to 15.31, p<0.001) and many parents (71%) planned to change family ATV safety rules.ConclusionVideo simulations of ATV performance with child riders changed short-term risk perception and planned safety behaviours of parents whose children ride ATVs. Similar educational interventions hold promise for larger-scale studies in at-risk populations.

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