PERCEPTIONS OF RISK OF INJURY TO YOUNG CHILDREN

本研究项目的目的是发展 风险认知是某些社会和经济因素之间的中介因素， 人口、环境和社会心理属性 儿童及其父母的伤害和风险。 本研究是 基于新兴的社会科学理论框架， 认知模型来预测人类行为。 在医疗 社会学和健康教育，健康信念模式是一个 心理学中的行为决策理论就是一个例子。 主要的研究问题是父母对孩子的看法 对幼儿（1 - 4岁）的风险是 父母如何组织他们的物理环境和模式 他们的行为，以减少伤害他们的孩子的风险。 一 第二个研究问题是父母和医疗保健 提供者准确地感知伤害的类型， 儿童有哪些风险以及风险发生的频率。 相关 研究问题是父母和儿科医生是否 相似的风险认知以及风险的来源是什么 父母的风险因素。 研究设计 包括三种不同类型的横截面比较 在南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚收集的数据。大都市区： 问卷调查数据来自1200名家长;访谈数据来自 医疗保健提供者和医疗保健伤害发生率数据 设置. 此外，预期组件要求： 一年后再次采访父母，以测试因果关系。 安全实践和自我报告的伤害之间的关系。 父母的数据将通过一个随机数字收集 拨号电话屏幕和面试。 所有儿科医生和 将联系家庭医生，沿着健康 部门护士执业。 研究团队已经 在社会/行为研究流行病学，儿科， 和生物统计学以及在问卷设计方面的丰富经验 和调查研究。 这种理论方法可以 实际应用等 如果对伤害风险的认知 不准确，这些认知与安全行为有关 和实际伤害发生率，一个有效的安全计划， 家长和供应商将需要纳入这方面的问题， 模型到程序设计中。

The aim of this research project is to develop the concept of perceptions of risk as a mediating factor between certain socio- demographic, environmental, and social-psychological attributes of children and their parents and risk of injury. This research is based on an emerging social science theoretical framework using cognitive models to predict human behaviors. Within medical sociology and health education, the health belief model is an example of this as is behavioral decision theory in psychology. The major research question is whether parents' perceptions of risk to their young children (ages 1-4) are a major determinant of how parents organize their physical environment and pattern their behaviors to reduce the risk of injury to their children. A second research question is whether parents and health care providers accurately perceive the types of injuries for which children are at risk and how frequently they occur. Related research questions are whether parents and pediatricians have similar perceptions of risk and what are the sources of information about risk factors for parents. The research design includes cross-sectional comparisons of three different types of data collected in the Columbia, S.C. metropolitan area: questionnaire data from 1200 parents; interview data from health care providers, and injury incidence data from health care settings. In addition, a prospective component requires that parents be reinterviewed one year later to test causal linkages between perceptions, safety practices, and self-reported injuries. The parental data will be gathered through a random-digit dialing telephone screen and interview. All pediatricians and family practitioners will be contacted, along with health department nurse practitioners. The research team has expertise in social/behavioral research epidemiology, pediatrics, and biostatistics and much experience in questionnaire design and survey research. This theoretical approach can have practical applications. If perceptions of risk of injury are inaccurate and those perceptions are related to safety behaviors and actual injury incidence, an effective safety program for parents and providers will need to incorporate aspects of this model into program design.