1. Teaching busy parents about ways to
keep their child safe from harm in the
home, in the car, and at play
Alexis Johnston
Katie Riuli
October 28, 2011

2.  Target audience:
Parents of toddlers, age 2 to 5
 Concept:
Provide our target audience with
information, tips, and resources to keep their
toddler safe by reducing the likelihood of
unintentional injuries at home, in the car, and at
play.
 Why Toddler Safety?
Unintentional injury is the leading cause of
death among children age 1 to 14

3.  Based on constructs of the Health Belief Model:
 Increase parents perceived susceptibility and severity
unintentional injuries among toddlers especially for
injuries sustained in cars, at playgrounds, and at home
(e.g. burns, poisoning)
 Increase parents’ self efficacy to implement safety
precautions such as implementing emergency
plans, using car seats, installing pool fences, using
cabinet locks, and inspecting playground equipment by
15% over one year
 Increase perceived benefits of implementing toddler
safety measures by 15% over one years, by showing how
small steps can significantly reduce the risk of injury.
 Increase knowledge of toddler safety precautions such
as car seats, installing pool fences, child-proofing your
home (e.g. cabinet locks, fixing loose wires) and
inspecting playground equipment.

4.  Focused on three main topics:
home, car, and “at play” safety
 Sent text message two times per day:
morning and evening
 Used an incentive program where parents
could earn points for a gift card to encourage
them to engage in program and take action
 Also used keywords to spur engagement

5.  Keywords
Parents could text words like “Playground,” “Car
Seat,” and “CPR” to receive more information
on a topic.
 Picture Messages
Parents could send picture messages of their car
seat or their children’s bike helmet to earn
points
 Quizzes
Parents could text “QUIZ” to test their
knowledge on certain safety topics
 Websites
Text “Website” if they visited a recommended site
for more info.

6.  Text4Tots: Children are likely to be injured at
a playground. Make sure that playground
equipment is age-appropriate and safe! Text
"PLAYGROUND" for more safety tips.
 Text4Tots: A quick call to the Poison Control
Center could save your child's life. Save 1-800-
222-1222 as “Poison Control Center” on your
phone then text CONTROL to earn 3 points!
 Text4Tots:Show us your seat! Send a picture
message of your child's car seat to earn 3
points toward a Baby's R Us Gift Card!

7.  Text4Tots: Did you know that your tot's skin burns more
easily than adults? Here’s a tip: Set your water thermostat
at 120 Fahrenheit to avoid burns in the bath or shower.
 Text4Tots: October is Fire Prevention Month! Create a
family emergency plan. For a step-by-step guide, visit
http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/SafetyGuide/sg_fire_
w004.asp
 Text4Tots: Your tot looks safe AND stylish! Congrats on
being 3 points closer to a gift certificate!

8.  Audience:
 Six mothers with children between the ages of
two and five
 One parent between the ages 18-24
 Five parents between the ages of 25-34
 Located in Maryland, Virginia, NY
 All white, non-Hispanic
 50% live in single family homes
 50% live in townhomes
 50% had access to community pools
 None of of children had ever been to the
emergency room due to an injury

9.  Pre- and post-survey instruments
 Pre-survey
 Gather basic demographic information (age, gender)
 Gauge their knowledge of injury prevention.
 Measure perceived severity and susceptibility; barriers
to implementing proper safety measures; and benefits of
taking the necessary precautions to prevent childhood
injuries.
 Post-survey
 Evaluate the Text4Tots program (did they like it, read
the text messages, find the information
helpful, recommend to a friend?)
 Interactions
 How many and how often participants interacted with
the program (e.g., texted “Playground” or “Quiz” or
sent picture messages.)

10.  All of the participants:
 Read all of the texts
 Liked Text4Tots
 Would recommend to a friend
 Liked the incentive program
 Though the texts were helpful for “child-proofing”
their home, car and play areas
 5 out of 6 participants said their knowledge
about child safety measures increased
 50% said they learned about new potential
dangers
 All participants said they were “confident” or
“very confident” in their ability for “child-
proofing” their home, car and play areas

11.  “Great tips and reminders, really liked the
website links.”
 “I wasn't always somewhere that I could
participate. Liked taking a pic of the car
seat.”
 “Good advice but since my daughter is on the
older end, we already had done most of the
precautions.”
 “A few suggestions I would not have thought
of – great!”

12.  Tailoring the messages by audience
 Only sending pool safety messages to those with a
pool
 Tailoring messages by kids’ ages
 Bike safety only applies to children who are old
enough to ride a bicycle or tricycle
 Tailoring messages by kids’ activities
 “at play” meant anywhere from being on the
playground to participating in sports like soccer or
gymnastics
 Providing this service to families that bring their
child to the emergency room or doctor’s office
for an unintentional injury
 Research indicates that safety interventions are
successful in this setting

13.  Create a website, like a Facebook page or a
Tumblr for the parents to upload their kids’
pictures to share with other involved parents
 Remind parents that they don’t need to
respond right away to the incentives. They
can receive the points if they respond at any
point in the program.
 Create culturally-specific messages