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Health and Safety
| Name | Ellen T. Blanchard | | Situation | In Charleston County, according to Kids Count, hospital emergency rooms reported that 7,810 children were seen for unintentional injuries. According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, each year unintentional injuries kill and disable school age children. In the United States, 1000 children ages 14 and under are killed by fire, 80,000 are injured by residential burns, scalding, and contact burns. Vehicle crashes injured more than 325,000 children and is stated to be one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries. Each year nearly 100 children die from poisoning and 220 die from firearms. (Unintentional doesn't include violent crime by firearms.)
Another 3,600 children are hospitalized and 15,000 receive medical attention for bicycle accidents. Consequently, due to bike accidents, 300 youth are killed. Head injuries are very common among children in communities across the United States because of the lack of protecting themselves while playing. Children ages 14 and under tend to die from choking and strangulation in their home from mechanical suffocation. Finally, each year 5,000 children drown and for every four drownings that occur, it is estimated that there four near drownings that cause hospitalization. | | Response | The County agent collaborated with North Charleston Crime Watch Coordinators, Safe Kids Coordinators, and teachers. The targeted ages for school aged children were 5-11, who resided in the rural and urban areas. 535 youth were engaged in the health and safety program, which included hands-on activities. The actual lessons consisted of six health and safety issues including poisoning, bicycle safety, choking and strangulation awareness, water safety, fire safety, and drowning. The youth were given the opportunity to role play, as well as conduct presentations based on what they had learned to their peers on health issues due to unintentional injuries. Finally, the youth explained the relationship between positive health behaviors and the prevention of injury and premature death. | | Impact | After completing the Health and Safety programs, 90% of the youth stated that they had increased their knowledge about the causes of unintentional injuries. Eighty-five percent stated that they increased their knowledge in the area of preventing unintentional injuries. Seventy-five percent plan to adopt behavior change by wearing bicycle helmets, practicing water safety rules, following safe play rules, wearing seat belts and practice and following health rules. In conclusion, the health and safety program known as Risk Watch was successful in both urban and rural school settings. Since teachers and youth reported that they benefited from the program, plans are to train teachers and community resource volunteers again this fall. |
Last update5/16/2008
This website is maintained by Amy West.
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