Pediatr Emerg Care

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of a computer kiosk intervention on parents\ue2\u20ac\u2122 self-reported safety knowledge and observed child safety seat, smoke alarm use and safe poison storage. To compare self-reported vs. observed behaviors.PATIENTS AND METHODSA randomized controlled trial with n=720 parents of young children (4mos\ue2\u20ac\u201c5yrs) was conducted in the pediatric emergency department (PED) of a level 1 pediatric trauma center. Enrolled parents received tailored safety information (intervention) or generic information (control) from a computer kiosk after completing a safety assessment. Parents were telephoned 4\ue2\u20ac\u201c6 months after the intervention to assess self-reported safety knowledge and behaviors; in-home observations were made one week after the phone interview for a subset of n=100 randomly selected participants. Positive and negative predictive values (PPVs and NPVs) were compared between the intervention and control groups.RESULTSThe intervention group had significantly higher smoke alarm (82% vs. 78%) and poison storage (83% vs. 78%) knowledge scores. The intervention group was more likely to report correct child safety seat use (OR=1.36; 95% CI=1.05, 1.77 p=.02). Observed safety behaviors were lower than self-reported use for both groups. No differences were found between groups for PPVs or NPVs.CONCLUSIONSThese results add to the limited literature on the impact of computer tailoring home safety information. Knowledge gains were evident four months post intervention. Discrepancies between observed and self-reported behavior are concerning, as the quality of a tailored intervention depends on the accuracy of participant self-reporting. Improved measures should be developed to encourage accurate reporting of safety behaviors.5R01HD042777-03/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States5R49CE001507/CE/NCIPC CDC HHS/United StatesR01 HD059216/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States2014-05-01T00:00:00