258962 Child passenger safety in the Somali communities of Columbus Ohio: A multi-level approach

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Erica Fletcher, MPH , Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Ann Mehl, MPH, CHES , Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Nick Nelson, RN, MPH , Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Kristin Roberts, MS, MPH , Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Lara B. McKenzie, PhD, MA , Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Low-income children and families, such as the refugee Somali population, are at especially high risk for motor vehicle-occupant injuries. Recent estimates recognize Columbus, Ohio as the second largest host community of Somali refugees and immigrants in the United States. Despite effective and widely recommended interventions such as child safety seats and booster seats, barriers such as language, illiteracy, poverty, and family structure challenge existing child passenger safety initiatives in Columbus. To achieve our objectives we conducted a variety of qualitative and quantitative activities designed using the Multilevel Approach to Community Health planning model. Interpreter-assisted data collection activities included: key informant interviews with leaders and established organizations in the Somali community; focus groups; and face-to-face parent surveys. Our research showed that child passenger safety is important to the Somali community and that there is room for improving safety practices, as 38% of respondents reported improper restraint of one or more children. Many families did not have adequate number of child safety seats for their family size and almost no parents reported having their child safety seat installed by a professional technician. Findings from these activities were used to develop a tailored intervention video detailing the importance of proper child safety seat installation and use that overcomes linguistic and cultural barriers of the Columbus Somali refugee and immigrant group. Evaluation of the intervention tool will assess perceptions of the video in the Somali community of Columbus and is underway. Results of the needs assessment activities and preliminary evaluation data will be presented.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture

Learning Objectives:
Objective 1: To describe the prevalence of child safety seat use among Somali families living in Columbus, Ohio; Objective 2: To identify perceived susceptibility, severity, threats, benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy related to child safety seat use among Somali families; Objective 3: To develop, implement and evaluate a child passenger safety program for Somali families living in Columbus, Ohio.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a Research Associate for the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, I participated in the data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and writing of a report for the Somali community on this project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.