Saving Lives Through Injury Prevention at the University of South Florida College of Public Health

Purpose/Aim:  The purpose of our video is to continue to raise awareness of the toll of injuries on children, adolescents, and young adults by emphasizing how injury prevention measures can save lives and allow everyone to grow and develop their full potential in life.  This video is a positive presentation of injury prevention addressing major injuries and life-saving strategies.  These include using seatbelts to prevent motor vehicle injuries, using a car seat to prevent child motor vehicle injuries, using bicycle helmets to prevent head and brain injuries in a bicycle crash, putting a fence around pools to prevent drownings, putting babies to sleep in cribs without extraneous materials to prevent suffocations and other injuries, and using a helmet when participating in sports such as horseback riding to prevent head injuries and concussions.

Target Audience:  Our target audience includes parents/caregivers; organizations/agencies focused on public health and injury prevention; hospitals, clincis, emergency departments, trauma centers; schools; insurance companies; sports facilities; and the general public.  

Supporting Evidence:  Injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults in the US and the numbers are growing worldwide.  Certain injuries affect more children and young adults than others are these are highlighted in the video along with prevention strategies that are simple to understand and should resonate with a large audience.  

Child and adolescent injury prevention campaigns that support these messages include efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Safe Kids Worldwide (Take the Pledge), the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety along with numerous child and adolescent injury prevention programs statewide and locally.  

At the University of South Florida College of Public Health  we have conducted research and implemented several injury prevention programs for children and young adults for decades.  By working with our constitutents and several local, state, and national public health organizations we have also been successful in promoting injury prevention laws and policies such as the Florida Bicycle Helmet Law and Pool Fencing measures.