Evaluation of a school-based injury prevention intervention in Beijing, China

Background:Traffic accident is the leading cause of death in China with 73,484 people being killed in year 2008. Traffic-related injury and death are also major public health concerns for adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based injury prevention intervention in Beijing, China. Method:The study was conducted in 12 pairs of schools in urban, suburban and rural areas of Beijing municipal area in 2005. The schools were randomized into intervention or control groups. The intervention groups received the health education lectures, brochure distribution, group games, etc. A self-administered survey was administered before and after the intervention. Pre-post intervention comparison was conducted to evaluate the students' road safety knowledge and behaviors, and traffic-related accidents. Results:

Compared to control group, the intervention group reported higher rates of increase in road safety knowledge (17.14% increase vs. 7.26% increase) and road safety behaviors (11.5% increase vs. 2.3% increase). The intervention group also reported lower rates of traffic accidents (8.4% vs. 13.2%). The differences between intervention and control groups persist after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a school-based injury prevention program. The program has been implemented into other schools in Beijing. More studies are needed to explore culturally appropriate injury prevention interventions for adolescents in China.