The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the WalkSafe program, an elementary school-based pedestrian safety program in a single high-risk district in Miami-Dade County. Sixteen elementary schools were identified in a single high-risk district and enrolled in a one-year study. All schools implemented the WalkSafe program on the last week of January 2003. A pre, post, and three-month post testing of pedestrian safety knowledge was conducted. An observational component was also implemented at four schools that were randomly chosen. Engineering recommendations and law enforcement initiatives were also performed. Results showed that a total of 6467 children from K–5th grade from 16 elementary schools participated in the program. Of these 5762 tests were collected over three different testing times. A significant difference was found between the pre and post testing conditions across all grade levels. There was no significant difference found between the post and three-month post testing conditions across all grade levels. The observational data collected at four schools across the different testing times demonstrated a significant difference found between pre and post testing conditions for Group A (stop at the curb and look left, right, left) and also for Group B (midstreet crossing and darting out). There was no difference found between comparing the pre-test or post-test condition with the three-month post-test time. There were many environmental modifications that were recommended and actually performed. In conclusion, the WalkSafe program implemented in a single high-risk district was shown to improve the pedestrian safety knowledge of elementary school children. The observational data demonstrated improved crossing behaviors from pre-test to post-testing conditions. Future research will focus on sustaining the program in this district and expanding the program throughout our county.

Current information re aims and community representation of Project. Issue reviews child injury prevention highlights from the last nine months.

Brief progress resport on the Wanganui Child Injury Prevention Project after one year in operation

A pamphlet which briefly details the 10-point action plan for sports injury prevention.

The IPRU can assist injury prevention workers and agencies with injury statistics for the purpose of advocacy, programme planning or evaluation. Visit http://www.otago.ac.nz/ipru and click on 'statistics' for a range of statistical information and comparisons. There is also a function which allows you to make your own enquiries- 'NIQS'. If you are unable to find the statistics you are after from this service, you can also email [email protected]

This is a lead editorial in an issue of the British Medical Journal focusing on road safety issues. "...the prevention of traffic crashes is low on the list of public health priorities both in the United Kingdom and internationally, with record low levels of funding in research and development."

Notice with illustration recommending that parents avoid the use of baby walkers

This information sheet/ pamphlet from the 'North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition' (NASPGHAN) is headed "Warning! Swallowed magnets are dangerous" and says: "Powerful, rare earth (neodymium) magnets are widely available in consumer and industrial products: o Desk or office toys o Toys o Office supplies o Jewelry o Pain relief products o Machines and tools These magnets usually are small in size and round in shape, like BBs or ball bearings. Magnet ball brand names include BuckyBalls™ and Neocube™ Though intended for adult use, they are difficult to keep out of the reach of children o Shiny and attractive to toddlers o Used by “tweens” and teens to mimic body piercing jewelry Extremely powerful magnetic attractions are produced o When more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnetic force can bring two pieces of intestine tightly together, and make holes in the intestines Magnet ingestion can lead to bowel injury, blockage or severe infection o Over 200 documented cases of children swallowing these magnets o Most require emergency procedures for removal o Some require major surgery What can parents do? o Keep tiny ultra-powerful magnets out of the reach of infants and toddlers o Educate your older children and teens about the risks of swallowing these magnets. These magnets are not children’s toys. o If your toddler or child swallows these magnets, immediately call your doctor or go to the emergency department." The sheet includes and diagram showing how the magnets can be attracted to one another and damage the stomach and/or the intestines." A copy of a printed-out media release from NASPGHAN is also included. Available at: http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/Magnet%20patient%20education%20handout%20with%20picture%20July%202012(3)%20%20(2).pdf

At least one child a month is hospitalised at Starship for injuries related to baby walkers ... A4 poster outlines reasons for Starship banning baby walkers from its premises and strongly urges families not to use these products.

A media release from Health Canada which pertains to the dangers associated with this toy. "The toy presents a strangulation hazard due to the highly stretchable plastic cord which, when swung overhead, stretches to a great length because of the weight of the ball at its end. When the ball is swung overhead, as children like to do, the stretched cord can become wrapped around a child's neck, and, as the cord recoils, it tightens. The resulting tight wrap and the sticky quality of the plastic cord make it very difficult to remove. This may lead to injury or strangulation of the child...Health Canada advises Canadians to avoid purchasing the yo-yo ball toy and to safely discard any that have already been purchased."

This is an A4-sized sheet which warns parents/caregivers of the dangers associated with multi-outlet power boxes, especially when they are placed at ground level in the presence of young children.

Laboratory crash test data indicate that children can be seriously injured if they are placed in a rear-facing restraint in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger-side air bag. An illustration accompanying this article shows how these injuries could occur. Because infants must ride in a rear-facing child restraint until about 1 year of age, vehicles with passenger-side air bags and without back seats are not suitable for rear-facing child restraints. People should consider this factor when purchasing a family car.

This teaching kit is aimed at teaching elementary school children basic pedestrain skills emphasizing street crossing while encouraging independent thinking, making safe choices, and evaluating themselves and others as pedestrains. The kit includes: Teacher Training guide; Teacher's manual; Video with 3 scenarios; Set of 20 slides; audio tape; 4 parent and child activity books; 2 colouring books (one in Spanish); 1 song book; 2 copies Pedestrian Safety Rodeo.

The objective of this study was to describe washing machine related injuries in children in the United States. Injury data for 496 washing machine related injuries documented by the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and death certificate data files were analyzed. Gender, age, diagnosis, body part injured, disposition, location and mechanism of injury were considered in the analysis of data. Results showed that the upper extremities were most frequently injured in washing machine related injuries, especially with wringer machines. Fewer than 10% of patients required admission, but automatic washers accounted for most of these and for both of the deaths. Automatic washer injuries involved a wider range of injury mechanism, including 23 children who fell from the machines while in baby seats. In conclusion, though most injuries associated with washing machines are minor, some are severe and devastating. Many of the injuries could be avoided with improvements in machine design while others suggest a need for increased education of potential dangers and better supervision of children if they are allowed access to areas where washing machines are operating. Furthermore, washing machines should only be used for their intended purpose. Given the limitations of educational efforts to prevent injuries, health professionals should have a major role in public education regarding these seemingly benign household appliances.

This printout from a website includes information on booster seat-related resources available in Washington State (USA). The Washington State Booster Seat Coalition was founded in 2000 to help increase the use of booster seats among preschoolers and young children in Washington State. The Booster Seat Coalition is comprised of healthcare professionals, childcare providers and educators, traffic safety experts, advocates from government agencies, and private interests in Washington State. These include books and stickers which feature the 'Booster Rooster' cartoon mascot and a 'Growing Up, Buckled Up' growth chart which features photographs and illustrations which show the different stages of child passenger safety e.g. the transition from one style of child restraint to the next (and the Booster Rooster).

This is a one page flyer that provides a basic safety checklist for parents/caregivers of young children around water in the home environment. Also includes some sun protection safety advice.

This general article on water safety uses a lot of information from Plunket "Keep Kids Safe Near Water" campaign. It covers, home dangers, boat safety, learning to swim and gives brief stats on where kids drown.

Safety tips for new parents.

This is a bookmark with a Pacific design on one side and the following messages on the reverse: -Watch out kids are about -Slow down you're going too fast -Buckle me in -Love me and let me live -Cross with me on he crossing -The road is not a playground -Slow down when kids are around -Hold my hand when we cross the road

The wheeled seat that parents love may actually slow infants' devlopment. This magazine article, printed from the Internet, discusses baby walker use in relation to developmental concerns for the child and includes some research data from a separate study.

With summer's heat upon us, the Minister of Consumer Affairs Peter McCardle is urging New Zealanders not to place products which may explode or cause fires in intensely sunny spots such as on car dashboards, or windowsills. "Hot spots inside the car can be dangerous when flammable or explosive products are put there," Mr McCardle said. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has been informed of a number of instances of cigarette lighters, clothes and other articles bursting into flames when exposed to the concentrated heat of a car or lounge window."

This article describes the testing of sports mouthguards. It makes the case for the use of mouthguards and cites a 47% decrease in ACC dental claims by rugby players after it became compulsory for them to wear mouthguards. The test included boil-and-bite products as well as more expensive custom-fitted ones and concludes by recommending three brands.

The number of children who drown at open-water locations such as surf beaches increases with age. In New Zealand, from 1980 to 2002, 70% of 5–9-year-olds (n = 71) drowned in open water locations. Little is known about parental supervision of young children at beaches. The purpose of this paper is to report on exploratory observations of caregiver supervision of children at the beach. Two experienced lifeguards were trained to observe caregiver water safety supervisory behaviors at 18 popular beaches in the summer of 2006/7. Of the 544 observations made, one quarter (24%) of children in the water were not considered to be adequately supervised. Most supervision (74%) was done by a single person irrespective of the number of children under their control. Of the 130 caregivers failing to provide adequate supervision, one third (30%) lay on the beach sunbathing, one quarter (28%) talked to others, and one quarter (27%) used cell phones. In light of these findings, recommendations about further research on how to observe caregiver supervision and how to enhance safe supervision practices by parents/caregivers are suggested. Water safety organizations need to develop and promote guidelines for the safe supervision of young children at beaches.

This is a water safety teaching kit compiled by the Child Safety Foundation of New Zealand. Each kit contains resources and teaching aids. There are flash cards, teachers' notes, wall chart, certificates, Safety Update (safety checklist), and a safety jingle (each kit also includes photocopy masters of these different resources so as the kit can continue to be used over time). These kits can be ordered by phoning 0800 CHILD SAFETY or 0800 244 5372 - more information available at http://www.childsafety.co.nz (All kits retail at $44 (includes post and packaging within NZ)

This article points out common dangers for children and suggests positive things you can do to ensure your child learns how to behave safely and responsibly in and around water, without destroying their enjoyment. If you would like to find out more about water safety, particularly for children, contact Water Safety New Zealand www.watersafety.org.nz

Introduction to water related hazards : at sea, in rivers, ponds and swimming pools. Examples from boating, rafting, diving expeditions and fishing. Demonstration of rescue techniques and mouth to mouth resucitation. Refers in passing to the need to supervise small children around swimming pools;Suitable for water safety and rescue groups

Reported first aid application, frequency and practices around the world vary greatly. Based primarily on animal and observational studies, first aid after a burn injury is considered to be integral in reducing scar and infection, and the need for surgery. The current recommendation for optimum first aid after burn is water cooling for 20 minutes within three hours. However, compliance with this guideline is reported as poor to moderate at best and evidence exists to suggest that overcooling can be detrimental. This prospective cohort study of a binational burn patient registry examined data collected between 2009 and 2012. The aim of the study was to quantify the magnitude of effects of water cooling first aid after burn on indicators of burn severity in a large human cohort.

These two articles appear together in this issue of Plunket's safety Update. The first discusses one of the themes for Kidsafe Week 2002, water safety, focusing on swimming pool/spa pool safety. The second brief article provides some basic safety advice for the supervision of children around water.

These two pamphlet resources (produced in Chinese and Korean) provide safety advice for people around different aquatic environments.

Water is my friend but when water is big it can be dangerous

This poster features 'Asian' children and caregivers swimming in swimming pools and learning basic water safety skills: Breath control, Floating, Water confidence, Breathing, Going under. These messages in Mandarin and Korean as well as English. The poster also includes the message 'Children under 8 years must be actively supervised by a caregiver 16 years or over.'

Water Safety New Zealand today (4 May 2004) released drowning statistics for the period to the end of April 2004. Six people drowned in April bringing the total drownings for the year to date to forty seven.

This is a very basic 10 point water safety checklist about children and water safety generally.

A brief factsheet which outlines some common causes of child drownings and what can be done to help prevent these from happening.

This basic factsheet outlines some safety tips to remember when children are around water.

Gives graph showing accident data. Then gives prevention strategies associated with swimming pools, baths, buckets etc

This information kit has been written to inform Plunket nurses and volunteers about water safety issues. It includes Information Sheets on swimming pool fencing, drowning statistics fact sheets and water safety resources taken from Safekids catalogue.

This resource is designed to allow teachers to get important water safety messages across to pupils from years 1-8 at curriculum levels 1-4. A thematic approach is taken and the water safety messages are grouped into eight major themes: -Aquatic environments -Drowning prevention -Hazards around the home -Beach and surf -Rivers -Safety with boats -Swimming -Underwater A list of resources available to schools and a list of New Zealand water safety organisations are also provided.

Resource brings together water safety in its broadest sense to offer teachers the opportunity to incorporate aquatic environments throughout the curriculum.

This report resulted from a collaboration between Auckland Regional Council, Surf Life Saving Northern Region and Watersafe Auckland Incorporated entitled 'West Coast safety pilot project 2006'. The project was set up in response to a number of rock-fishing fatalities among recent new migrants (especially Chinese people) on Auckland's rugged west coast during 2005. The project involved the study of demographics, beliefs and behaviours and an educative safety campaign. The focus of the report is on adults rather than children. The report concludes with recommendations for future rock fishing safety promotions based on the information obtained.

This collection of articles reveals some of the diverse recreational relationships that New Zealanders and Australians have with fresh and saltwater environments, from surfing to river crossing, competitive swimming to surf lifesaving, and, aquatics education to waka ama. Within each of these different fluid environments, there exists diverse sets of values, attitudes, identities, risks and joys. The associated pedagogical work, which Richard Tinning (2010) defines broadly as the re/production of knowledge, ideals and beliefs, is subsequently complex. The complexity of this pedagogical work requires a broadened understanding of water safety. Although water safety focuses on drowning prevention, it is also concerned with fostering enjoyment and wider issues such as safety issues associated with diverse cultural beliefs (e.g. tikanga Maori), identities (e.g. via challenging sexism in surf cultures), social practices (e.g. religion and women-only swimming times), the environment (e.g. ecology), and learning opportunities (e.g. attempting to retain school pools). This expanded view of water safety concomitantly challenges researchers, health and physical educators, and Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ).

"Water Safety New Zealand claim they are missing the boat in fuding rounds from government sources. The claim comes following a statement last night that road safety education would receive an additional $38 million dollars from the increased petrol tax and further widens the gap between funding available for the prevention of injuries and fatalities within the water safety sector and other areas."

These are a set of large stickers for the bath which attach and detach when the bath is wet. They are a dolphin, fish, starfish and duck which display the following messages; (1) Always supervise children near water, always, (2) Run cold water first, (3) Hot water burns like fire, and (4) Always stay with us at bathtime. This set was jointly developed in Northland by Plunket, Parents as First teachers, ACC, Whangarei Aquatic Centre, Northland Health and Safer Community Council in the interests of your child's safety in and around water.