A Controlled Study of Health Education in Accident Prevention

THE HE ROCKLAND County Child Injury Prevention Project was developed as a controlled study to test the possible effects of public health education of groups of parents on the incidence of accidental injuries among their young children. Suchman and Scherzer1have emphasized the need for controlled studies in accident prevention in childhood, especially since the future course of mortality in the age group from 1 to 15 years is largely dependent on the death rate from accidents and other violence.2Furthermore, accidental injuries leading to death are only a small fraction of the accidents which result in temporary or permanent disability. Three general approaches have been used in the effort to reduce the rate of accidents among children: application of engineering or environmental measures, enforcement of legal measures, and public education in safe behavior. Education may be conducted in a one-to-one relationship, as is done by the practicing