Video intervention changes parent perception of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety for children.

BACKGROUND: Children aged <16 years account for 25% of deaths on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), despite public health and industry warning against paediatric use. Parents often underestimate instability and other risks associated with ATVs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a brief intervention consisting of validated computer simulations of ATV performance with a child driver changes attitudes, beliefs and planned safety behaviours of parents of children who ride ATVs.

DESIGN/METHODS: Participants were parents of children presenting to a children's hospital emergency department. All participants had children who had ridden an ATV in the past year. Subjects viewed a video simulation of ATVs in scenarios featuring 6-year-old and 10-year-old biofidelic anthropomorphic test devices. Parents completed a survey both before and after viewing the video to report attitudes/beliefs on ATV safety for children, use of safety equipment and family ATV use, as well as risk and safety perception.

RESULTS: Surveys were collected from 99 parents, mostly mothers (79%), Caucasian (61%) and had high school education or less (64%). The intervention shifted parents' belief in overall ATV safety (48% unsafe pre-intervention, 73% unsafe post-intervention, p<0.001). After viewing the video simulation, parents were almost six times more likely to perceive ATVs as unsafe (OR 5.96, 95% CI 2.32 to 15.31, p<0.001) and many parents (71%) planned to change family ATV safety rules.

CONCLUSION: Video simulations of ATV performance with child riders changed short-term risk perception and planned safety behaviours of parents whose children ride ATVs. Similar educational interventions hold promise for larger-scale studies in at-risk populations.