Role of Professional Preparation and Class Structure on the Delivery of Injury Prevention Instruction in U.S. Schools

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of professional ‎preparation and class structure on instruction of unintentional and intentional injury prevention ‎content among required health education classes in the United States. ‎ Methods: Data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) were ‎utilized. A series of multivariable logistic regression models with corresponding odds ratio's ‎were employed to determine if 1) instruction of injury prevention topics and 2) time spent on ‎instruction of injury topics were dependent on professional preparation and /or class structure. ‎Years of teaching and size of the school district were included as covariates. Descriptive ‎analyses of specific injury-related instructional content was also conducted. ‎ Results: Findings indicated that professionally prepared teachers were more likely to deliver ‎content in the area of suicide prevention [OR = 2.0; 95% CI =1.2-3.3) when compared to ‎untrained teachers. Class structure was also associated with content delivery, with courses ‎devoted to health instruction having a higher odds of violence prevention [2.3; 95% CI = 1.5-3.6) ‎and suicide prevention instruction [2.4; 95% CI = 1.5-3.9) when compared to courses which ‎combined health with another instructional area. Time spent on instruction of unintentional and ‎intentional injuries was also significantly predicted by professional preparation and class ‎structure. All analyses were conducted using Stata/MP 11.1.‎ Conclusions: Research concerning the relationship between professional preparation and ‎teaching outcomes is scant, particularly concerning injury-related topics. Impact of the findings ‎pertaining to classroom instruction will be discussed.‎